


Food Lovers

by NamNom



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Anxiety, Bambam is a flirt, Best Friend Jin, Best Friends, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, Female Protagonist, Food, Foodie, Foodie Jin, Foodies, Foreigner living abroad, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, GOT7 - Freeform, Insecurity, Jackson is a Good Friend, Jackson wang - Freeform, Jealous Kim Seokjin | Jin, Jin - Freeform, Jin as your best friend, Kim Namjoon - Freeform, Kim Seokjin - Freeform, Kim Seokjin | Jin is a Good Friend, Kim Seokjin | Jin-centric, Korean Characters, Love, Male-Female Friendship, Mentioned Jackson Wang, Min Yoongi - Freeform, Original Character(s), Panic Attacks, Reader-Insert, Rm, Romantic Friendship, Yoongi - Freeform, bambam - Freeform, bts - Freeform, hoseok - Freeform, j-hope - Freeform, jeon jungkook - Freeform, jimin - Freeform, jung hoseok - Freeform, jungkook - Freeform, kim taehyung - Freeform, namjoon - Freeform, park jimin - Freeform, photographer, suga - Freeform, tae - Freeform, taehyung - Freeform, v - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:53:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 29,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23664181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamNom/pseuds/NamNom
Summary: Jin became your first and best friend since you moved to Korea as you bonded over your mutual love for food.Could this sweet friendship develop into something spicy?
Relationships: BTS & You, BTS and You - Relationship, BTS/Original Female Character, BTS/Reader, BTS/You - Relationship, BamBam/You - Relationship, GOT7/BTS, Jackson Wang & You, Jackson Wang/Original Female Character, Jackson Wang/Reader, Kim Namjoon | RM/Jackson Wang, Kim Seokjin | Jin & Original Female Character(s), Kim Seokjin | Jin & Reader, Kim Seokjin | Jin & You, Kim Seokjin | Jin/Original Female Character(s), Kim Seokjin | Jin/Reader, Kim Seokjin | Jin/You, Kunpimook Bhuwakul | BamBam/Reader, Kunpimook Bhuwakul | Bambam/You, bts/got7
Comments: 66
Kudos: 125





	1. Starters

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first official fan-fiction :) I've worked on a couple in the past, but this is first I will finish and publish. 
> 
> Also, Jin and Y/N are in Korea. While writing it, I imagine they code-switch, especially since Y/N is technically not from Korea, but I want everyone to be able to relate to her so I will not specify where she is from. With all that being said, I will have them both just speak English probably most of the time, rather than trying to insert Korean phrases here and there while the majority of it is in English.

Jin and you had become pretty close friends since you moved to Korea. It’s not every day that your first friend made becomes your best friend. It’s also not everyday you meet someone like Jin. You felt really fortunate enough to have met someone so soon and that was so kind, funny, and had just as big of an appetite as you do.

You never imagined that anyone like Jin would actually want to be friends with someone like you. He wasn’t only charming but… handsome—like, if you know anything about the K-pop group he is in, his nickname is literally “Worldwide Handsome.” Sure, it sounds cheesy, but once you met him, you could immediately understand the nickname.

You try to ignore that your best friend is extremely handsome—like it does not make sense for someone like him to be out walking about with someone that looks like you. For one thing, he’s this well-known superstar and he is out and about getting food with some small foreign girl?

You still do not understand why he hangs out with you. You do really think that it is because you are the only one he knows that likes literally all the same foods he likes. That’s basically how your friendship began anyway—you were a photographer for a campaign featuring prominent K-pop artists such as BTS and were wrapping for the day when a very hungry Jin came over to the crafts table. You were munching on some Orion Turtle Corn Soup chips when he casually started talking, “So, Ms. Photographer, now that we’ve got all my beauty shots done, I can eat? Is it Ms. Or…?”

You didn’t realize who he was talking to until after you glanced up at him and realized Kim Seokjin was staring right at you. You stared back up at him with chip in your mouth; you nearly choked.

“Pardon?” You finally managed.

“I was inquiring if it’s alright if I can eat now that all the beauty shots of me are done.” He explained.

You blinked, attempting to process all of this. You are not used to models, especially celebrities making conversation with you. “I-uh-yes… I mean, I don’t discourage anyone from eating for any reason, especially a photoshoot… Everyone needs their energy to work.”

“That’s very good of you. I’m sure few people listen to you on that though.” He said.

You just stood there looking back at him, just shocked that he was talking to you.

He looked down at the crafts table as if studying it. He scanned over a small array of snacks including chips, chocolates, juice, and fruit.

"Do you have any recommendations?" He inquired.

You quickly swallowed the chips in your mouth before responding. "Well, the turtle chips are my favorite of all the snacks I've tried in Korea thus far. The corn soup is the best flavor." You pointed at the chips. "They are perfect balance of sweet and salty, but--"

Before you could finish your statement, he grabbed a handful and ate it. "Mmm. You're right."

You laughed, "However, Shindangdong Tteokbokki is good if you prefer spicy." 

“I really want some real food though. I’d kill for an American hamburger or just some rice.” He continued.

“Did you say American hamburger?” You asked.

He nodded.

“I know a great place near my apartment. It was one of the first things I noticed since I moved here.” You told him.

“Really?”

“Yeah! You should check it out. It’s really good like I really like it. It tastes just like the hamburgers from America, it’s so cool.” You explained to him.

“What’s it called?” He inquired.

“Oh—I forgot—hold on, I’ll look it up.” You pulled out your phone and found it listed and showed him.

He took your phone and scrolled through the online menu. “Oh, this sounds so good! I really want this.” He showed you the screen again to point out what he was interested in.

“You should try it.” You smiled at him. “I’ve had it, it was as amazing as it sounds.”

His face lit up back at you. “My mouth is watering. Let’s go!”

You laughed until you realized he really meant “let us go.”

“What are you waiting for?” He asked. “You’re done for the day, aren’t you?” 

"Um, I mean, yes… but—”

“But what? Come on, I want you to show me this place. Since I’ve never been, I’ll trust you in ordering.” He told you.

“But—”

“If you’re worried about it, I’ll pay.”

“Wait, what—you can’t—”

“Come on.” He grabbed your hand and was leading you off.

“What—what about your friends—”

“They’ll be fine. They had mentioned going to get kimchi fried rice or something, but I’d rather try these hamburgers with you.” He smiled back at you.

“Oh.” Is all you could manage to say.

He ended up getting you two a cab and like he had said, treating you to hamburgers. You tried three different burgers, splitting them and getting a side of loaded French fries and a side of onion rings plus a milkshake and Coca-Colas. It kind of felt like a date… but also not really because you would have never been as comfortable on a date as you were with Jin that night, eating a bunch of junk food. You were mid-bite on the double-decker burger when he looked up at you with a big grin.

“What?” You muffled out.

“This is so much fun.” He smiled.

“What?”

“This is so much—”

“No, no, I heard that—I mean like… what? How?” You chuckled as you swallowed the food.

“I’ve not had like a really fun outing and meal with someone in awhile like this—like no one would order this much and this kind of food with me. They’d also probably reprimand me for eating like this… Like I am really happy right now because of this—because of you.” He told you.

You probably turned bright pink from blushing because when you looked at him again, he was grinning really big at you. You nearly died—his grin is so precious. You quickly looked away before you blushed more—but then you noticed a little bit of milkshake around his mouth.

You got serious again, “I—um—Jin…”

“Yes?” He looked up at you.

“You have a little—like-little—someth—mil—” You stuttered.

“Something on my face?” He asked.

You nodded.

“Can you help me? Where is it?” He desperately inquired.

You nodded again— You didn’t know what else to do so you just reached over with your index finger to wipe the milkshake from his mouth—gosh, you felt like you were in a fanfiction and a bunch of scenarios kept running through your mind like what if as you're reaching, he grabs you and kisses you or you clean it off and he says to you, “You missed a spot.” Then kisses you! Yeah, that didn’t happen.

You were wiping it off his face for just a second when suddenly you overheard a voice, “Oh my gosh. Is that Kim Seokjin of BTS? Who is that girl with him? They look very close…” You quickly moved your hand away and looked at Jin solemnly.

“What’s wrong?” He asked you.

You whispered, “Someone has recognized you.”

“I can take care of it, Y/N. Don’t worry.” He assured you.

Jin put his mask on, pulled his hoodie over his head, then grabbed your hand as you got up from the table. He quickly used his body to shield you from being seen by anyone in the restaurant. He lead you out back, towards the kitchen. He told you to wait for a moment while he paid. After a moment of nervously waiting, you felt a strong grip take hold of your hand and lead you out the back of the restaurant and into a waiting cab. You looked at him in awe—and he was still holding your hand—then you realized the cab just passed your apartment.

“Excuse me, sir, you just passed my apartment.” You told the cab driver.

“Oh, Y/N, I’m sorry—I didn’t tell you… um, I’m worried about you going to your apartment right away—just in case someone happened to follow us from the restaurant. The driver is just going to drive around and take the long-way back to assure we’ll be okay.” Jin explained.

You nodded, “Oh.”

Jin smiled at you, “Thank you for being understanding and also realizing the situation at the restaurant before it got worse.”

You smiled back. Jin looked at you, then down at your hands—realizing he was still holding your hand tightly before he quickly released your hand and profusely apologized.

“It’s okay.” You quietly told him.

He rubbed his neck, “Uh. Thanks… Um, it was a lot of fun, you know.” He paused for a moment. “I mean like… eating…with you..um, I mean, I want- want to… do it again. Like I want to go try another restaurant with you.”

You looked at him, shocked—like was he implying that he wanted to spend more time with you?

“You have good taste and like eating with you allows me to try even more dishes.” He continued. “If you hadn’t told me about that place, I’d never have known about it and honestly, I’d wanna go back there again. I’m definitely going to get takeout for the guys one day.”

“I’m really glad you liked it, Jin!” You grinned.

He told you there’s a Japanese restaurant he has been hearing about that he wants to try.

“That sounds cool.” You told him.

“So you’ll go with me?” He asked.

“You want me to go… with you?”

“Are you free anytime soon? Are you free tomorrow night or Sunday?”

“Um, I’m actually free tomorrow night after eight, then I am free all of Sunday afternoon.” You reply. "I actually don't have another photoshoot till the one with you guys on Monday."

He beamed, “Awesome! I’ll take you to the Japanese restaurant tomorrow night, then on Sunday, I’ll take you to this place I’ve been hearing about in Busan!”

Your mouth dropped. Did he just say he wants to hang out tomorrow night and Sunday—and take you to somewhere in Busan? A trip to Busan?!

"Actually, there's this place I went with Jungkook the other day. Maybe you'd like to go with us on Monday after the photoshoot?" He added.

The drive went surprisingly quick considering the driver really drove out of the way just to drive you right back to your apartment again. Jin kept you busy by initiating ice-breaker games like 2 Truths and a Lie and more. He and you realized that you had a lot more in common than expected—you both like the same types of movies, same superheroes, games, foods (obviously), and more. But once he found out you actually _like_ Dad jokes, he wouldn't stop trying to make you laugh. Sometimes, you were slow to understand since Korean isn't your first language.

When you finally arrived back to your apartment and the driver came to a stop, Jin quickly hopped out of the car ahead of the driver to open your door and help you out. You don't remember the last time a guy did this.

As he walked with you to your door, he said, “I’ll pick you up here at 8:30 tomorrow, okay?”

You almost had forgotten that he had asked you to dinner again. It doesn't seem real.

“Yeah, that works. I’ll make sure to come hungry—which won’t be a difficult task for me; I’m always hungry.” You told him with a chuckle.

"Me too!" He gasped. "You’re so much fun. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

You start blushing again, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” You gave him a wave goodbye before stepping inside.

He waited until you were inside and had locked the door before he left.


	2. Table Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Jin have continued to grow closer through your mutual love of food. Jin has been opening up to you more about his struggles and, one night, he shares some surprising information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I've been going through finals and it's been much more stressful than I imagined considering quarantine! However, I'm GRADUATING uni so will be able to post WEEKLY again as originally planned.

The two of you did go out the next day to the Japanese restaurant, ordering half the menu together. The Sunday plans were kept as well. Soon, it became not just an occasional thing nor a weekly thing, but a regular thing for the two of you to go out to restaurants, trying foods together. The two of you even contemplated starting a blog to document and review but going under “aliases” since you’re both public figures.

Jin became your first real friend in Korea. Heck, he was probably the best friend you had ever had period. He never judged you for anything. Instead, he would just order another order of food for the two of you to share. And although he wasn’t supposed to be seen going out—especially with a woman—he somehow managed to do it just so he could go out to eat with you. Even in his busiest schedules, he tried to schedule in at least one meal with you a week. He told you he needs to do it; eating with you is how he relaxes after a hard week.

Some nights, he’d arrive to the restaurant a few minutes late, apologizing profusely. You would ask him what’s wrong as you could tell he was flustered. Eventually, you were able to tell what happened just by his body language—whenever he showed up late, sweating, red, and, to be honest, a bit clumsy. He was exasperated. It was because he was at dance practice late.

Tonight, he practically fell into the restaurant, causing quite a bit of a scene. It is a miracle no one recognized him. He lowered his head and adjusted his hoodie and mask before he walked over to your table in the back corner of the restaurant. As Jin began to sit, he tripped over the tablecloth and bumped his knee.

"Jin! Are you okay?!" You exclaimed.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." He muttered.

You quickly got up to go inspect any potential injuries.

"Stop, Y/N, it's fine." He tried to assure you.

You returned to your seat, rather awkwardly.

"Man, is it hot in here? I'm burning up." Jin fanned himself with a napkin before removing his hood.

You gasped, "Jin! Are you sure it's ok to remove your hood?"

He buried his face in his palms, "It's going to have to be. I can't deal with this right now." Jin quickly removed his hoodie, along with his jacket, revealing a solid white T-shirt. His mask soon followed, revealing the sweaty and red bare-faced Jin.

"Gosh, Jin, rough day at work?" You inquired.

He glared up at you, but soon his expression softened. "Listen, Y/N, I'm sorry I'm late. I really am." He sighed. "This is becoming a regular thing for me, isn't it? I don't want you to think--"

You interrupted, "Jin, stop apologizing. It's fine. I know you're busy. To be honest, I am surprised you go out to eat with me as much as you do."

Jin managed a smile, "It's the only thing that keeps me sane these days."

You returned the smile, "I wish there was more I could do. I feel so bad. I see you continually beat up on yourself."

His smile disappeared, "It's just... you know, we've been doing this thing for quite some time now. It feels like the fans have seen it all, yet they expect us to only get better? The choreography was never easy to begin with, but now, we're supposed to be pros and they keep giving us stuff that's just... it doesn't make sense sometimes."

"I'm sorry. I can't imagine what you're going through." You nodded sympathetically.

“I just don’t know why I just can’t do it. It looks like it’s coming so easy to everyone—”

“But, Jin, not everyone has the same talents. You’re good at so many other things!” You tried to explain.

“What? Being handsome? Like, Y/N, that’s seriously the only reason I’m here—is for visual. And the other guys are still more popular because—” You cut him off before he continued bashing himself,

“Shut up, Jin. You’re not _just_ visual. Yeah, you are handsome, but you’re an amazing vocalist! Plus you’re kind and caring—BTS couldn’t be BTS without you. You bring everyone together. Think about how when BTS first began, you cooked for everyone. You were like their parent almost.”

“You know all that?”

“Um…” You blushed, hoping he would not think of you as an obsessive fangirl. “I had friends before I moved to Korea…that were very into K-pop, including you guys.”

He nodded, accepting your explanation.

“Anyway, Jin, listen to me, okay? Please? Plus I see your dancing. You’re actually _really_ good. So what if you’re not Jimin or J-Hope? They were dancers first and foremost. You were always meant to be a performer, Jin, and that’s what you are. I’m always impressed with your abilities—” You tell him, “I don’t mean this as insult, but, in fact, your body is bigger and older than theirs so it’s more difficult to move as quickly and flexibly. You said it yourself-- you've been doing this for years now. However, your showmanship and confidence on stage disguises any difficulties your body might be fighting against and you look awesome. Plus not many people can showcase amazing vocals while doing complicated choreography, _yet_ you do it.”

He didn’t say anything. He just gave you a small smile—that’s all you needed. You smiled involuntarily back before looking down to avoid blushing, but he reached across the table and grabbed your hand. He held your hand until you felt like you had to look back up at him. He was still looking at you.

“Thank you.” He uttered. He reached over to grab your other hand, holding onto both tightly, “You’re so kind to me. I’m so happy to have met you.”

Your face is the one that got red now, you couldn’t help it—although you’d been going out to eat with Jin for a couple months now, it didn’t change the fact how crazy it was that you were in a nice dimly-lit restaurant, sitting in a booth in a back corner with the most handsome man ever, who is staring back at you as he holds your hands and tells you sweet things like he is happy he has met you. 

He bit his lip before saying, “Y/N…"

You gulp. Why are you sweating? Why do you feel like he is going to confess something to you? Why do you do this to yourself? You're overthinking again.

"Y-you are my best friend.”

You _were_ overthinking again. 

You just sat there, not sure what to say. You didn’t understand your own feelings upon hearing these words. You don’t even remember your response to what he said. You just remember going home that night, lying in bed and replaying the scenario over and over again in your head. The scene looked like a romantic film, but his platonic words replayed. But…nevertheless, you felt flattered- no, honoured that someone as cool and admirable as Jin would even just want to spend time with you and call you “best friend.” He was your best friend—so why did you feel strange when he told you that you too were his “best friend?”


	3. Boy Interrupted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Potential dinner date plans get interrupted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had not originally planned to throw in another K-pop idol lol but here we are. :)

"Tilt your head to the right. Now angle your shoulder to the left. That's great! Amazing. You look great." You yell out behind your camera. Lights flash as you click the shutter. 

Jackson Wang lounges against a sofa, decorated in Fendi head-to-toe. 

"Cool, I think we have enough." You look up from your camera and smile at him. 

He takes off his sunglasses, "We Gucci?" 

"Nah, we Fendi." You wink at him. 

"Cute." He gets up and approaches you. "The joke and the photographer."

You giggle...probably like a schoolgirl. 

He gets closer, "Can I see some of the photos?"

"Of course!" You reply as you turn walk over to your computer. He follows behind. You turn the monitor towards him and he sits down in the chair next to it. 

"You can flip through them if you'd like." You tell him.

"Thank you." He smiles up at you as he begins flipping. "Oh, I like this a lot." He points at a photo of him wearing a Fendi jacket. 

"Me too, but..." You lean over him to flip it forward a couple pictures to a picture of him removing the jacket, leaving him bare chested. "I like this one even more." 

He smirks at you, "Why? Because I'm half-dressed?" 

You gasp, "Oh my gosh. No, I'm so sorry if that's what you thought I meant."

"What did you mean?"

You're so flustered. You try to explain, "No, no, I mean... It's because it's a candid. You're not posing or doing what you think someone else wants. You're just being yourself and... it's natural." 

He gets up from the seat so that he's staring down at you. "So, it's not because I look especially handsome in that photo?"

You hesitate, "Well. I-I think you look handsome in all of the photos."

He smiles, "Nice save." 

You give him an awkward thumbs-up. 

"So... now that we're all wrapped up here..." 

Your phone buzzes, interrupting Jackson. 

"Hold on." You request as you pull out your phone. "Sorry." 

"It's okay." He says as he stands patiently by your side. 

You look down at your phone to see a new text from Jin: 

**Jin: Y/N! HELLO! WHAT'S UP?**

You don't know why Jin is yelling at you in text. You choose to ignore it until you're done meeting with Jackson. 

"Go ahead. No emergency. Thank God." You laugh.

He grins, "I was going to ask if you wanted to--" 

Your phone buzzes again. And again.

"You sure it's not an emergency?" He asks.

"I'm sure."

He chuckles, "Okay. So, if you don't have any plans--"

Your phone's ringing interrupts this time.

You're so confused, "Sorry!" You pull out your phone again and answer, "Hello?" 

"Y/N! Why are you ignoring me?!" Jin whines over the phone. 

You sigh, "Jin. I'm at work."

"Oh. I'm sorry." You could hear him frown over the phone. "I just wanted to check to see if you wanted to grab dinner and some drinks with me and my coworkers/friends/roommates/brothers tonight. We just got finished with our schedule." 

"Did you just call BTS your coworkers/friends/roommates/brothers? Why are you so extra?" You laugh. 

Jackson's eyes widen in surprise. 

"You love 'extra.' You always order extra fries when we go out." He teases. 

"Ouch!" You laugh. 

"So... will you get off soon? We'll wait for you."

"Well..." You look at Jackson. "I was about to get off, but-- hold on." 

You put the phone down, "Hey, you're friends with the BTS guys, right?"

He nods and grins, "I love Namjoon-ah. My best friend." 

You laugh, "Sure, sureeee. Do you want me to ask Jin if you can come have dinner and drinks tonight with all of us?" 

His mouth widens, surprised to realize you know the same people, "Sure, that'd be great. You know Namjoon-ah acts too busy for me." He pouts. 

You get back on the phone, "Jin, can I bring a plus one?"

"Um, you're _my_ plus one, but okay..." He chuckles. 

"He said 'yes.'" You tell Jackson. 

"Yay!" He celebrates.

Jin coughs, "Wait. It's a guy?" 

You laugh, "Jin, yes, it's Jackson."

"Jackson Wang?"

"Yes. You know." 

"Oh." 

"Text me the address and we'll meet you in a few minutes." 

"Okay. See you soon." He hangs up.

"Okay, l guess we should go." You tell Jackson. 

You quickly pack up your equipment and then follow him out. 

"So...how do you know BTS?" He inquires.

"I was the photographer for a promotional shoot with some idols and BTS were one of the groups. Jin and I became friends." You explain. "He approached me at the craft services table and we realized we liked the same food. That's how it happened. We like the same food."

Jackson laughs, "That's so typical of Jin." 

"I know." You laugh. 

"Want to ride with me?" He asks.

"Sure." You agree. 

Jackson walks you over to his car and opens your door, closing it after you get in. 

When he gets in, he turns the car on and lowers the volume on the radio. 

You smile over at him, "Hey, what were you trying to ask me earlier before Jin kept interrupting?"

"Oh." He replied as he pulled off. "It doesn't matter now." 

"Here's the address by the way." You looked down at Jin's text as you put the address into Jackson's GPS.

"What do you mean?" You ask.

He chuckles, "I was trying to ask you if you wanted to go get dinner with me if you didn't have plans."

You blink, surprised, "What?"

"Yeah, but I'm still having dinner with you...and 7 other guys...who are my friends...so it's fine." He smiles at you. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> didn't plan for Jackson but he's my GOT7 bias so I guess... it was bound to happen.


	4. Dinner with Frenemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the first time Y/N has spent time with all of BTS at one time. As if she isn't nervous enough, she goes with Jackson Wang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PHEW. That took me longer than I expected. I was stressing myself out with this scenario lol.

The car ride to the restaurant is quiet. You sit there trying to process everything-- you are trying to process that fact that you are in Jackson Wang's car, trying to process that you are on your way to eat with not just Jin but all of BTS, and trying to process that apparently Jackson wanted to ask you to dinner.

You steal a glance over at Jackson a couple times. He pretty much keeps his focus on the road as one should. 

"You okay?" Jackson finally breaks the silence. "Do you want to turn on the radio?"

"Oh!" You exclaim. "I'm okay."

"Sure?" He inquires. 

You nod, "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks though." 

He returns the nod. 

Silence again. You hate this. You hate that you let your nervousness affect your interaction with someone. Why are you so awkward? Why do you overthink everything? Jackson probably wasn't really asking you out on a date. That'd be crazy. But...if he was, you totally ruined it. No, you didn't ruin it. Jin ruined it...by inviting you to dinner with BTS? That's hardly ruining anything. Plus it's so sweet that your best friend wants you to hang out with the rest of his friends. 

You are about to go have to be social with a bunch of people, you need to be less nervous and start actually talking. 

"So." 

Jackson glances over at you curiously. 

"I'm excited for you to see the rest of the photos-- and edited." You say.

"I'm excited to see--"

You quickly interrupt, "Not like they need editing! Because you look perfect-- I mean, you..." 

You sigh, unsure how to save yourself now.

Jackson chuckles and mutters under his breath, "Cute." 

"What?" 

He smiles at you, "Don't worry about it. We're here." 

"Oh." 

He parks like a pro. He's good at everything-- even parking. 

You take off your seatbelt when Jackson motions "stop," "Hold on, I'll get the door for you." 

You sit awkwardly waiting for a man to come open a door for you. It is kind of nice that someone is being gentlemanly but also... why can't you open the door for yourself?

The door opens and you get out of the car to see Jackson looking at you. He smiles when you make eye contact. You quickly shift your gaze. 

"Have you been here before?" He asks as he closes the door behind you.

You laugh, "Surprisingly no." 

"Why surprisingly?" He inquires. "You're not originally from here, right?"

"No. I actually moved here like just a few months ago." You explain. "But Jin has kind of made sure I've tried every restaurant in Seoul."

He gently puts his hand on your back, leading you towards the restaurant's entrance, causing a chill to run down your spine. 

"So... you and Jin are pretty close, huh?"

You give a gentle nod in response, "We like to go out to eat."

"Like on dates?"

You laugh, "No. Not at all." 

He stops for a moment, "Well, do you usually go with the rest of the guys?"

"No. Actually...this is my first time hanging out with all of them at one time. I'm kind of nervous."

"Y/N, usually..." 

"Hello. Welcome to Pairing Room." A maitre d' approaches, saving you from this strangely uncomfortable conversation. 

"Hi. We're here to meet a group of seven guys." You speak up.

"She means BTS." Jackson adds. 

The maitre d' nods and motions for you to follow her upstairs. She leads you to a private room in the back and dismisses herself. 

You enter with Jackson still leading you with the touch of his hand on your back. You see the guys all sitting at a huge table. They seem to have already started drinking. Hopefully Hoseok isn't drunk yet.

"Hello, guys." You say to announce yourself.

"Y/N!" Jin exclaims, standing up suddenly, knocking over his glass of beer. Thankfully it only had a drop left. Tae immediately wipes up the spill as Jin rushes over to you. He swallows you in an embrace, freeing you from Jackson's touch. However, Jin lets go as quickly as he stood. 

"Come over here and sit by me. I saved you a seat." He tells you. 

You look over at Jackson.

Jin looks at Jackson.

"Hey, how are you?" Jackson says to Jin.

"Good. Nice of you to be able to join us." Jin grins at him. 

"Since Jackson came with me... he and I should probably sit together." You explain. 

"Oh." Jin says. "I'll just have Tae move. No problem." His facial expression said otherwise.

"Bro." Tae pitifully protests. 

Jungkook pulls out a chair for his auburn haired friend. 

"Sorry." You mouth to Tae.

Tae moves himself and his Coca-Cola over next to Kookie who meets him with an open arm around the shoulder.

Jin goes over to your seats and you follow behind. You begin to grab your chair when you see two other hands reach out for it before you look up to see Jin and Jackson both trying to pull your chair out for you. You quickly step away to see Jackson release to allow his Hyung to do it. Jin successfully pulls out the chair for you to which you sit. 

You haven't even been seated a minute yet when Hoseok somehow transports from the opposite side of the table to over by you so he can embrace you in a hug.

"Hobi!" You exclaim.

He whines, "Y/N, you never visit me. I thought you loved me." This is how Hoseok gets right before he crashes from too much alcohol. His usual cheerful loving self turns into the usual loving Hobi but sad...and whiny.

"I do. I'm so sorry." You pout.

He sniffles, "Come see me tomorrow."

"What is tomorrow?" You ask. 

"Nothing special. I was thinking you can see me at dance practice. You know I am very good at dancing."

You laugh, "I know you are very good at dancing."

"Hoseok, Y/N is busy, you know." Jin chimes in.

You reach over to Jin through Hoseok's embrace to pat his arm, assuring him it is okay.

"I have a break tomorrow. I'll try to stop by." You tell Hoseok, causing him to release you and dance with excitement.

You laugh in response and catch a glimpse of Jin looking slightly frustrated. He's acting weird tonight. Thankfully you have another friend there with you. You look over at Jackson and smile. He smiles but you see why-- Namjoon has walked into the room.

"Namjoon-ah!" Jackson exclaims. He stands up and the two guys make a beeline for the other.

"Bro! What are you doing here?!" Namjoon runs into Jackson's open arms.

Jackson steps back with his hands on Namjoon's muscles, "You always acting too busy for us to go have drinks. I had to take desperate measures to finally get it."

Namjoon laughs, "So, you shake down each member of BTS till one gives in and releases our dinner location?"

Jackson smirks, "No. I flirt with Jin's friend, knowing she would be invited and she would end up inviting me."

You gasp, "Wait. What?"

Jackson laughs, "Y/N, I'm joking." He comes back over to you and places his arm around you.

"Are you sure?" You glare at him.

"Bro, I was about to say..." Namjoon comes over and sits next to Jackson before he erupts into more laughter. "You need to be careful though." He winks at Jin.

"Why?" Jackson asks.

Namjoon takes a sip of his beer, "I don't know... It's just Jin and Y/N spend an awful lot of time together."

Suddenly, the ever-so quiet Yoongi snorts, barely to be heard from under his black hood.

You just sit there in silence, sipping your cup of water, wondering what anyone of these people are trying to communicate here.

"Wait. I don't understand this conversation. Y/N and Jin have been dating for like a month now, right?" Tae says as confused as you.

You spit out your water, giving some folks a shower.

"Shit!" Yoongi exclaims, stripping his now wet hoodie off, revealing one of 100 FG T-shirts.

Jimin's mouth falls open, stunned at this information.

"Yeah, whenever it was she photographed us that first time." Jungkook adds. "I remember cuz Jin ditched us!"

A half-awake Hoseok mutters, "I mean...how can anyone pass on kimchi fried rice?"

Tae gasps, stunned, "Wow. Jin really picked Y/N over kimchi fried rice."

"That's when you know it's love." Jungkook sighs.

Jin stands up, waving his hands around, trying to get everyone to calm down and be quiet, "Please, please, stop. You all are overreacting and misinterpreting."

Namjoon looks at him quizzically, "Hmm, we need to calm down? You are the one waving your arms around here."

Jin's voice both raises and speeds up with each word, "What?! I am very calm. I do not understand where you are coming from with any of this stuff. Y/N and I are friends. We just like to eat the same food. That is all that happens."

"You sound like a rapper. You're getting so fast and aggressive." Yoongi retorts.

"Very defensive..." Jungkook whispers to Tae.

Jin takes his seat, "Seriously."

You're the only girl in the room... and all these guys happen to be like the biggest idols like not just in Korea but the world. There is no way you are going to try to get into some sort of petty argument with anyone here. You don't even understand how or why this started.

Jackson attempts to break the tension, "So. What I'm hearing here is Y/N is available."

"Available?" Jin repeats.

"As in single." Jackson adds.

Jimin eyes both Jin and Jackson suspiciously.

The silence returns. Hey, no one said Jackson would succeed in his attempt to break the tension.

Seriously, you can cut this tension with a knife.

Much to your relief, it is short-lived because Hoseok falls asleep _and_ back in his chair. 

You rush over to see your friend collapsed in the floor, hugging his chair. You've never been so happy for the fact that Hoseok can't hold his alcohol well. It actually saved you this time. 

Or so you thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BET y'all weren't expecting Jealous Jin this early huh ;) 
> 
> Let me know if y'all want more Jealous Jin in the future...I got some ideas even beyond Jackson Wang heheheheheheh


	5. Avere il prosciutto sugli occhi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Jin and the rest of BTS must tend to Hoseok, Y/N and Jackson are left to conclude their dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "avere il prosciutto sugli occhi" is an Italian proverb, meaning "to have ham over your eyes." I will further explain at the end of the chapter. :)

You had hoped that Hoseok's collapse would have lead to the end of this dinner. 

Instead, you find yourself still sitting at the table with Jackson. 

"Y/N, Jackson, I am so sorry we're going to have to take our Hobi home." Namjoon gives your shoulder a light pat. 

Jimin and Jungkook have Hoseok's arms hanging on their shoulders as they try to keep him up. 

"JK? J-J-Jimin?" Hoseok mutters.

"Yes, buddy, it's us." Jimin says with a comforting tone. 

"I love you, bro." Hoseok gives Jimin a little peck on the cheek before he collapses again. 

"Jungkook! Put those muscles to use for once in your life!" Jimin yells.

Jungkook struggles to keep a hold on Hoseok, "I'm trying, man. Why can't Jin do this?" 

Jin looks around like he was looking to see if there was anyone else named Jin there. 

"Hey, um, you know there's a lot of us. We don't all have to leave just because one of our friends got too drunk, right?" Jin proposes. 

"You're right! I'll stay here with Y/N." Tae beams and takes the free seat next to you. 

Jin clears his throat. 

Tae looks up at Jin, confused. 

"I mean...perhaps I should stay." Jin says.

Namjoon pulls Tae up and sighs, "Listen, I'd love to stay and catch up with my old friend, but--" 

"Stop it, Namjoon-ah, I know you're just looking for any excuse to avoid me. It's okay, it's fine." Jackson exaggerates cries. Namjoon responds with laughter. He makes his way over to Jackson and embraces him with a hug. 

"Don't laugh at my pain." Jackson sniffles. 

"Seriously, let's get drinks this weekend." Namjoon tells him.

"Promise."

"Promise, bro." 

The two do one of those bro handshake-hug things before Namjoon gets up to lead the party out. 

Namjoon stops when he realizes Jin was staying behind. He goes over and grabs Jin by the arm. "Come on, man."

"I don't understand. Let's just all go. It's for the best. If you stay, you're going to end up as drunk or more and we can't have that. You have that promotional video tomorrow, don't you?" Namjoon explains, pulling at him. 

Jin huffs, "Gosh, I forgot about that. I can't believe I can't drink just because of a 30 second video." 

"It'll probably take all day nonetheless." 

"I'm a one-take-wonder and you know it." 

"That's not what our choreographer says." 

Jin pushes Namjoon out the exit door. "I'm going to say goodbye." 

He comes over to you and sits down. He looks at you before placing a hand on your arm. "Sorry. I know you had looked forward to dinner with everyone." 

"It's okay." You give an understanding nod. "Honestly, I expect this to happen once I see Hoseok with a beer in hand." 

Your comment causes the two of you to laugh. Jackson awkwardly laughs with. Jin looks over at Jackson suspiciously. 

"Hey," You try to get Jin's attention. "I'll see you?" 

"Soon." Jin winks. "Who knows? I might call you tomorrow."

You smile, "Okay."

"Jin!" Yoongi calls from outside the door. 

Jin stands up suddenly, "I got to go." 

Y/N laughs, "I can't believe how scared you are of him sometimes."

"You haven't shared a room with him!" Jin responds with a look of fear and concern. He gives you a quick hug and a wave goodbye to you and Jackson. He does not leave without a glare in Jackson's direction. 

"What?" Jackson asks.

"Nothing." Jin claims. "Have a good night." He says as he exits out the door. 

"You too." Jackson responds.

Jin peeps back in. "Not too good." He adds before disappearing.

Jackson gulps. "Well then."

You decide to help yourself to the remainder of the food now that you don't have to fight seven men for anything. You take a bite of the miso creamy pasta, slurping up the noodles. You're halfway through the dish when you suddenly choke upon a realization. 

"Y/N! Are you okay?" Jackson begins patting your back hurriedly. 

You cough for a moment, motioning for him to leave you alone. 

"I'm fine." You assure him.

"What happened? Did you swallow the wrong way?" He inquires.

You daze out, "I just...do you think they paid for all this before they left?" 

"Oh my gosh." He sighs. "Hey, I'll go check. Don't worry about anything. Just enjoy the food. I'll be right back."

It was a little hard to enjoy the food considering the possibility that you might have to pay the cost for all this. I mean, this was food for a party of nine! They must have ordered the entire menu before you arrived. However, Jackson did tell you to enjoy... and it would be rude to disrespect his wishes. 

You eye a nearby plate of green soybean pasta. You take a small bite.

"Oh my gosh!" You exclaim. 

You're in the middle of your third bite when you notice a plate of gnocchi. Your fork attacks the plate and you devour a couple bites of gnocchi.

"Is that Cheetos I taste? Why is this so good?"

Jackson returns. He smiles upon seeing you eating. 

"Jackson! Are these Cheeto gnocchis? And why is it so good and chewy?" You ask.

Jackson laughs as he sits down next to you, "It sure is."

"They weren't kidding about this place being fusion food, huh?" 

"Hey, you need to try the salted popcorn ice cream before we leave." He tells you. 

You groan, "Jackson, you don't understand. I ate two plates of pasta while you were gone." 

"Y/N, I was gone for five minutes at the most." 

"I know!" You cry. 

"Hey, Jin is going to be super disappointed if he finds out you left without trying dessert." He scolds you. 

You sniffle, "B-but there's still seared scallops, pizza, and lasagna left." 

"We'll get some to-go boxes for those. Ice cream we gotta have here." He tells you. 

"Okay."

Suddenly, a waitress appears with a bowl of the ice cream and places it between you two. 

"Thank you. Can you box the remaining dishes for us to go, please?" He requests of the server. 

She gives a gentle nod before disappearing. 

"You already ordered it?" You ask.

He laughs, "I wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer." 

You look at him skeptically. 

"I mean... in the case of desserts, you know..." He coughs. "Here. Take the first bite."

You take a scoop of the ice cream and put it into your mouth.

Oh wow.

How can something taste like a trip to the beach and the amusement park?

"That's amazing." You tell him. "I love the combination of the sea salt and caramel and it's _sooooo_ creamy."

He chuckles, "I knew you'd love it." 

You smile before passing him the spoon. 

He takes a bite and passes the spoon back to you. 

"Sorry, I should have asked for two spoons." He apologizes.

"It's ok." You say passing him back the spoon.

He takes a bite before asking, "So...your first dinner with all the guys... how was it?"

You laugh, "You were there."

The waitress returns with boxes and begins to pack away the food. The two of you go silent.

You take a big bite of ice cream in an attempt to avoid the awkward silence. 

Jackson thanks the waitress as she packs away the last box of food and leaves. 

"So...but?" He continues.

"What?"

"Dinner."

You laugh, "Dude. It was... awkward." 

"Why?" He laughs.

You put the spoon down, "I don't know. I was so confused about like half the conversation." 

"Which half?"

"Well, the half that focused on me...and Jin." You whisper.

He nods.

"I don't understand...like how it is that his friends-- well, to be honest, our friends have been thinking we're dating. I'm kind of hoping it's just the case that they were drunk and they were just running their mouths." 

He lowers his voice, "Usually, it's the case that people are more honest when drunk though _soooo_...."

"Really?" You gasp. "So, they really think we--No! Oh my gosh. No, that can't be." 

He awkwardly chuckles, "Yeah, so...I don't know, but, hey, you guys know the truth. Dude just needs to correct them if the truth is that...you're not dating." 

"Hopefully he has corrected them."

"So. You aren't dating?"

"Jin?"

"Anyone."

You laugh, "Of course not."

He smirks. 

"Why?" You ask.

He licks the cream off his lips upon taking another bite of ice cream. "No reason." 

* * *

Jackson stacks the fifth takeout box in your hands. 

"Why do I have to carry all the boxes?" You whimper. 

"'Cause I'm gonna open all the doors for you, babe." He coos as he grabs the door handle and waves his arm for you to exit. 

Your mouth falls open at his tone. 

"Come on." He tells you.

You walk out and he places his hand upon your back again.

"Hey!" You yelp. 

"Just trying to help lead you to the car." He defends his actions.

"Fine." You huff. 

He leads you over to the passenger side of the car and opens the door. 

"I'll take the boxes and place them in the back." He offers.

You hand over the boxes and take a seat. 

He is placing the boxes in a seat in the backseat when you make a proposal. 

"Hey, don't forget to buckle them up." You encourage him.

"Like... with the seatbelt?" He asks.

"Yes."

"Okay, you're the boss." He laughs. 

You look behind you to make sure they are secured and they look great. 

Jackson comes around and gets into the car. 

"You're so funny." He smiles. 

"Thank you?" You question this compliment. 

He starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot. 

He steals a glance at you real quick, "Did you have fun tonight? Despite everything else."

You nod, "Actually, I did. Thank you." 

"Food was good?" He asks.

"You tasted it; you know it." You laugh. 

He laughs with you. 

"They paid? You never told me." You inquire. 

He hesitates, "Um. Actually, no. They didn't get the chance to." 

You try to catch your breath before asking more. "What?"

"Yeah..."

"So, what happened?" 

"I paid." He explains.

"For everything?" You ask.

He nods in response.

"Jackson, we should have split the bill." You declare. 

He sighs, "Y/N, don't worry about it. I couldn't let you do that."

"I ate more than you, dude."

"I make more than you." He rationalizes. 

You bury your face in your hands. 

He consoles you, "It's okay, Y/N. Please, don't worry. Namjoon-ah will have to pay me back with drinks this weekend."

"He better." You emphasize. 

"Besides, I had fun." He concludes. "With you." 

You smile, "Me too."

Your phone rings. 

He looks over at you. 

You look at it and choose to ignore it. 

"Should you get it?" He asks.

"It's not important. I'm here with you." 

He glances at the phone and nods. 

"So, do you want to maybe do something? Get a drink or--" You propose. 

"Um-- actually, it's pretty late. We should reach your apartment in a few minutes." He tells you.

"Oh." You glanced at your watch. It was 15 till midnight. This isn't _that_ late by Seoul standards. Nonetheless, you don't feel like arguing. 

And, apparently, he didn't feel like talking.

* * *

Upon arriving to your apartment, Jackson gets out and comes to open your door for you one last time. 

"Thank you." You smile at him.

"My pleasure."

He walks you up to your door.

"Hey, thank you." You tell him. "For everything." 

"You're welc--"

"Wait! The food." You panic. 

He laughs, "I'm going to bring it to you. Don't worry." 

He runs back to the car and grabs the boxes. Juggling the containers, he makes his way up the steps to you. 

"Here. Let me take these inside." You tell him. 

You take the boxes from him, your hands gently brushing each other's. 

He pushes the door open wider for you to enter through. You walk into your place. "You want to come in?" You call back.

Jackson hesitates. 

You leave the boxes on your kitchen countertop and you look to see Jackson still outside. 

"I'll take that as a 'no.'" You conclude.

He looks down rather sheepishly. 

"I'm not trying to... sorry, I don't want you to misunderstand." You say. 

"It's not me you should worry about misunderstanding." He points out. 

"Who then?" You question.

He answers, "Jin." 

You stand there across from this handsome man that you never would have dreamt you would have any opportunity to spend a moment with. The moment is coming to an end sooner than you would have hoped. You didn't necessarily want him to spend the night. You just met him although it feels like you've known each other for forever. However, a moment longer-- perhaps a beer together on the rooftop? But, no. This is the end of the moment.

You find your voice breaking amidst your utterance of "I don't understand." 

Jackson chuckles, "You say that a lot." 

"It's true." You defend your choice of words.

"I believe you believe." 

You shake your head, "That doesn't make sense." 

He grabs your hand, "Seriously, I wish things were different." 

The streetlights illuminate him, making him appear like the angel you have always thought him to be. 

You tighten your grip on his hand, provoking him to let go. This isn't how you imagined this going.

"Jackson, I really don't understand." You contend. "Everything up until now has lead me to think you felt differently."

"Your assessment of my feelings are true." He states.

"Then what's the issue here?"

"The fact that there is someone else's feelings you need to assess. Including yourself." He tells you. 

You hang your head down. 

A finger lifts your chin up. "I had fun. Hopefully, we can do another shoot again." 

"Jackson, this isn't fair. I want to see you again! Please. You've misunderstood everything." You argue. 

"Really?" He asks with hope he misread everything up until this moment. He places a hand on your arm, gently stroking your sweater. 

Suddenly, your phone rings, causing him to remove himself immediately.

"I wonder who that could be." He mumbles to himself.

You remove your mobile from your pant's pocket. It only takes a moment's glance to know who it is. 

He nods. There was a noticeable air of defeat that had to be recognized. 

Putting your phone on silent, you declare, "It's nothing." 

"I wish it was. I really do." He forces a smile. "I need to leave. Have a good night, Y/N"

His lips ever so gently and quickly brush your cheek before he trods away.

You struggle to watch the car drive off. Nothing about this night has gone the way you imagined. You didn't imagine your photoshoot with Jackson would lead to your development of feelings for this man you admired. You couldn't imagine that your first dinner with all of BTS would end prematurely due to Hoseok's inability to hold his liquor. You couldn't have imagined that during the short time you were with BTS that they would accuse you and your best friend of dating. You didn't imagine that Jackson would flirt with you all the way to the moment that he rejected you. 

You close the door behind you as you enter back into your kitchen. Before you know what is happening, you find yourself halfway through the leftovers. You argue against yourself that the food is better fresh. 

You look down to see 2 missed calls and a new text notification:

**Jin: Hey. I know I know I said I would call tomorrow, but I just wanted to check to make sure you got in OK.**

**Jin: Y/N. Please let me know when you arrive home. I'm getting worried. You haven't answered my calls. :(**

You type a quick reply and hit send:

**I'm home.**

You get another notification: 

**Jin: I'm glad to hear it. :)**

**Jin: Please tell me you didn't leave without trying the salt popcorn ice cream tho**

You manage a smile as send him a reply: 

**you'll be relieved to hear that I did. Jackson wouldn't let me leave unless I did**

Jin quickly responds back:

**Jin: he's not all bad**

**Jin: anything else to report?**

You decide to report nothing:

**You need to buy me some more Cheetos gnocchi.**

Jin wasn't content with nothing:

**Jin: LOL Of course.**

**Jin: How about Jackson? How'd that go?**

You sigh and type a nice but boring version of how tonight went with Jackson:

**IDK if we have the same taste**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "avere il prosciutto sugli occhi" is Italian for "to have ham over your eyes."  
> Basically, if your eyes are covered by ham, then you can’t see anything. Some people in this story can't seem to see even the obvious... *sips tea*
> 
> Also, sorry that this chapter is so long! I just wanted to give a good conclusion for the Jackson portion of the story. At this moment, I'm not really planning for him to return since this is a Jin story. However, if you really want to see return in a later chapter, let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to fulfill your wishes!


	6. Time to Spice Things Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N keeps her promise to Hoseok and pays a visit to the boys during her lunch break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this chapter!

You look at the clock and watch the hands fall on 2. It is lunchtime.

You have a bit of different plans than usual. Normally, you'd order in lunch. Today, you are using your free time for lunch to pick something up and go visit the boys in between their schedule. Hoseok _really_ wanted you to visit dance practice so you are trying to utilize the little bit of free time you have to catch some _and_ still eat.

You call in an order at Everest Curry World before you leave. When you arrive, you pick up an order of Chicken Malai Tikka, Tandoori Chicken, Mutton Tikka, Dal Makhani and Palak Paneer. Obviously, you got your and Jin's favorites and some additional because you haven't memorized all the guys' favorite dishes yet. Thinking about it, although you met the guys a few months ago now, usually...you just end up hanging out with Jin. 

Before you walk into the practice room, you hear a familiar voice call out with what sounded like a sigh of relief, "Is it lunchtime?!"

You chuckle, knowing you probably saved Jin from exhaustion and starvation... or so he thought.

Jin runs out of the room and meets you in the hallway. He exclaims, "Y/N! I didn't know you'd actually come." 

"I wouldn't break my promise to Hoseok like that." You explain.

He pouts, "Oh...you're here for Hoseok."

"Not just for Hoseok." You take a step towards him.

He eyes you suspiciously.

You close the space between the two of you by handing him the bags of food. "Also, because it is lunchtime."

"Do I smell--"

"Curry. Lots of curry. And tandoori chicken, of course."

His face lights up with realization, “Okay. You’re the best.”

“I know.” You smirk. 

He laughs, "Well, aren't you the confident one?" 

"I guess you've rubbed off on me." You shrug. 

Jin leaves you with a wink before disappearing with the bags. You try to follow behind. It is your first time at their dance studio so you allow Jin to lead for a change.

The room is cold and intimidating with its bare white walls. However, someone dances at the center to bring light and color to the space. His body moves with seemingly no effort. With each beat of the music, his body follows. 

Suddenly, the music stops and Hoseok stands, his chest heaving. He sweeps away his fallen hair wet from sweat and looks up to see you looking at him in awe. 

“Y/N! You really came!” He chimes.

Before you can get both feet through the door, Hoseok has run over to you and enveloped you in a hug. He hasn’t stopped hugging you when Tae also throws his arms around the two of you, forming a group hug.

“Guys.” You muffle. “Help.”

Jin looks up from the food to see… well, that he can’t see you anymore. “Y/N?”

“Jin.” You manage from underneath the affection of the other members.

Jungkook scurries over, “Hey, don’t forget me.”

Tae pulls Jungkook into the hug.

“No.” You attempt to protest.

Jin throws a plate of tandoori chicken down and runs over. He attempts to break you free from the others’ embrace, “Stop."

“We’re killing her.” Tae realizes.

Jin manages to push his friends off of you, causing you to stumble into him. You gasp for air.

“I think I almost died from…” You ponder. “Love?”

Jin manages a laugh.

Namjoon approaches you and reaches his arms out, “I waited my turn like a good boy.”

You giggle as you hug him.

Yoongi chimes in from a corner in the room, “I’m not going to fight over you, Y/N”

“That is fine with me.” You respond.

“So… how was your date with Jackson?” Namjoon snoops.

You glare at him, “Well, aren’t you nosey? If you two are so close, why don’t you ask him instead?”

Namjoon backs away with his hands raised, “Okay then.”

You look over at Hoseok, “Well, you certainly look much better than the last time I saw you.”

Hoseok blushes, “Well, I had my beauty sleep.”

You laugh, “Not hungover then?”

“Nothing some hangover soup couldn’t cure.” Hoseok smiles.

“Speaking of delicious food,” You announce. “I brought lunch for everyone!”

Jungkook gasps with excitement. 

"I hope you all like Indian food." You say, identifying takeout. 

V runs over to the bags and begins pulling out the food, "It smells so good!" 

You smile, glad to do something for them. 

Jimin strolls in, whimpering. You look up from your curry, concerned. 

"You okay?" Hoseok asks.

He sulks, "Can we take a break? I'm hungry." 

"Well... Actually, Y/N brought lunch for all of us." Namjoon points out. 

Jimin looks up and his little mouth falls open with surprise. 

"Y/N?" He inquires. "When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago?" You guess. "How's it going?" 

He runs over to you, takes a seat and pulls you into a hug. "Better now that you're here." He says with a smile. 

Your cheeks turn bright pink as you return his hug. 

Jin coughs, "Jimin, didn't you say you were hungry?" He shoves a plate of food in Jimin's direction. 

You and Jimin look up awkwardly. 

"Oh yay!" Jimin cheers, receiving the food. 

"How'd you know?" Jimin questions you. "This is my favorite."

You smile. "I just kind of...guessed..." 

Jimin takes a bite and moans. 

"Is it okay?" You ask. 

He nods while maintaining the same cute smile, causing you to smile too. 

Jin doesn't do a good job at hiding a glare at the two of you. You take notice of this and raise an eyebrow, questioning him. He retorts with yet another strange facial expression that he expects you to read. You sigh with frustration. 

Finally, you ask, "Your food not good, Jin?" 

Jin hums, "Mmm. It's my favorite." 

"Too spicy?" 

Jin plays with his food for a moment before taking a bite of curry soaked naan.  "Not spicy enough." 

* * *

Empty takeout boxes are strewn across the table. Jin attempts to continue nibbling at the little bit of remnants of food, despite clearly being full. Jungkook lounges against V. 

"I think we might need to postpone practicing the new choreo." Namjoon states.

Hoseok sighs, "You might be right."

"I don't remember the last time I ate that much..." Yoongi adds. 

Jimin takes one last bite of cheese-filled naan, "Please, come more often, Y/N."

You giggle, "I'll try... that is if it's okay with all of you." 

Jungkook sits up, "It's okay with me!" 

V nods, "Very much okay." 

Everyone nods in agreement except for Jin. 

"Thank you, guys." You look down when you feel your face warm up. You notice your watch and let out a sigh. 

"What's wrong?" Jimin asks. 

You frown, "I have to go back to work."

Hoseok inquires, "Now?" 

You nod, "Unfortunately. It was really great seeing you guys though." You get up and give everyone a wave goodbye before you begin to head out. 

"Wait!" Jimin stands up. "I'll walk you out." 

Suddenly, Jin gets up from his seat and looks at Jimin, "Actually, you don't have to worry, Jimin. I'll go make sure Y/N gets back to work safely." 

Jimin frowns, "You sure?"

"Yeah. I just remembered I have to talk to her about something." Jin gives Jimin a reassuring pat. 

You look at Jin confused. You can't imagine what he could have to talk to you about. 

Jin grabs his coat before running over to your side. 

You give the guys one final wave when Jimin dashes to you and gives you a quick hug. Jin rolls his eyes.

Grinning, he waves goodbye as you follow behind Jin. 

Jin and you walk down the hallway in silence. As you walk down the stairs, you wonder when he is going to start talking and telling you what he wants to talk about. 

When you're heading out the lobby, you begin to wonder if there's anything to talk about at all. 

Finally, he breaks the silence by asking, "How'd you get here?"

"I walked." You tell him.

His eyes widen, "Okay, I'm going to have one of our drivers take you back to work." 

"Why? I can just walk back. It's not that far." You argue. 

He sighs, "Y/N, I said I was going to make sure you got back safe." 

"Dude. It's not like it's a dangerous neighborhood. Chill." You rationalize. 

He squints in frustration, "Just accept my offer."

You sigh, "Seems like you're not giving me a choice."

"Texting him now." Jin pulls out his phone and begins typing. "Want me to go with you?"

"Not especially." You say.

Jin huffs, "My usual driver isn't available. I don't know this guy so I'm going to go anyway." 

"Bro, you don't even trust BigHit's drivers?" 

"Not if I don't know them personally." Jin states. "I'm not going to let you go off with a stranger." 

Before you could try to argue anymore, the driver pulls up in a car with tinted windows. 

Jin puts on his mask and pulls down his cap. 

"Come on." He grabs your hand and leads you out the doors. 

The driver gets out and opens the door for you. You climb in to the other side and Jin sits down next to you as the door closes behind him. 

When the driver gets back in, Jin gives him your work address before pulling off. 

You're sitting in the car in silence when you notice Jin's hand still holding onto yours. 

Freeing your hand from his grasp, you break the silence, "So. What did you want to talk about?"

"Hmm?" 

"You said you wanted to come with me because you needed to talk to me... Right?" You question. 

Jin raises a finger to his temple, appearing to think, "Did I?" 

"Yes."

He shrugs it off, "Ah well. Nothing comes to mind right now." 

You scowl in response to his unusual behavior. 

"I guess you just get to enjoy my company." He smiles. 

You laugh, "Sure." 

"What should we eat tonight?" He asks. 

You chuckle, "I don't know. I'm still full from lunch." 

"Ah..." 

"Actually... I might have work till late tonight. I just remembered I have a meeting with an overseas client." You explain.

"Oh."

"Yeah... sorry."

"No. That's cool." He says, clearly disappointed. "So..." 

You propose, "Let's do something fun tomorrow?" 

The car comes to a stop.

"Here you are, Miss." The driver announces. 

"Thank you, sir." You gather your stuff. Jin opens the door and gets out followed by you. 

He stands in front of you, looking down. You look up at him before thanking him, "Thanks for the ride, I guess."

"You're welcome, I guess." He winks. "I'll try to think of something fun for tomorrow." 

"Sounds good." You say. "Later." 

You begin to walk into your office building when Jin calls out, "Hey. Hold on."

"What? Did you finally remember what you need want to talk about?" You say with a chuckle. 

Jin rolls his eyes, "No... I just wanted to ask why everyone else gets a hug but me." He opens his arms wide while he pouts. 

You run up to him and whisper, "You want me to hug you... in public?" 

He whispers, "I have my cap and mask... No one should recognize me." 

"Your shoulders are recognizable." You giggle. 

"Are they?" He opens his arms wider. 

To get him to shut up and leave, you walk into him and his arms enclose you. 

"You smell like curry." You mutter. 

He lets you go, "Wow." 

You laugh, "Sorry. You do though."

"And whose fault is that?" 

You wink at him before turning and walking away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting last week. Everything that's been going on these days have been taking its toll on me. Ever since George Floyd's death, I've been really struggling. It's just yet another reminder of how messed up this world still is. It has put me in fear that I could lose my friends (who are like my family to me) any day over nothing... just because of the color of their skin? No one should have to worry about every move they make like that. 
> 
> Please sign this petition for Breonna Taylor: https://www.change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylor?recruiter=846319158&recruited_by_id=7a014940-f03f-11e7-8146-c99775eb668f&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_message&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial 
> 
> If you can donate to BLM or NAACP bail funds, please do. If you can't afford to, you can watch this video which will give its money made from ads to help BLM (just don't skip the ads): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCgLa25fDHM
> 
> Thank you for your understanding! I will try to post more regularly.  
> Also, comment what you'd like to see next! Any ideas for Jin as he tries to think of something fun for him and you to do?


	7. Chicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N accidentally skipped dinner due to work and ends up finding herself without food and companionship. Two things which she has grown accustomed to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry I have not been updating weekly!! Hope you enjoy.

You get home late because the meeting ran longer than you imagined. You leave your shoes by the door and can't be bothered to put on your slippers. You are _starving_. It's been hours since you took food to the guys. Besides, they hogged most of it anyway. You enter your kitchen and make your way to the fridge only to find it looking like a ghost town. Its only occupants were expired milk, condiments, and an egg. That's okay you tell yourself. There surely has to be something in the cupboards. You scour through them only to discover them bare. Eating out so much with Jin these days has made you not notice this until now. There hadn't seemed to be a need to go to a grocery store or market. 

Thankfully, there are always convenience stores nearby and open at all times. It's just unfortunate that you're so exhausted that you can't even muster to walk a block. 

You debate whether to go bed hungry, work up the strength to walk a block to grab some food, or eat that one egg. 

Ugh, even if you're exhausted, your stomach growling will keep you awake yet you are too sleepy to walk! 

However, you just can't bring yourself to eat a boring egg. If only you had rice or vegetables to go along with it. 

You sigh in frustration at your dilemma and decide to ask your best friend for advice:

**You: Jin! HELP. I just got home, I'm tired and hungry but there's nothing to eat here.**

You sit, staring at your phone with anticipation.

Finally.

A response.

**Jin: LOL. Is there really nothing or do you just not feel like eating any of the stuff you have?**

**You: I have an egg.**

**Jin: Oh. That's worse than I imagined.**

**You: What should I do? I'm too tired to go to the convenience store. It's like a block away.**

**Jin: Why don't you order in?**

**You: It's like midnight, Jin.**

**Jin: Yeah...so?**

**You: Wait. OMG. I'm so stupid.**

**You: I forgot** **yall have delivery all day and night lol. If you're hungry at midnight back home, you have no options.**

**Jin: :-o that is so sad.**

**You: I know. :( However, wouldn't it be sad to eat fried chicken alone?**

**Jin: don't tempt me**

**You: What do you mean?**

**Jin: O-O**

**You: I would never suggest whatever you're thinking I'm suggesting :))**

**Jin: You're obviously sleepy so order in and go to bed ASAP.**

**You: Okay, sir.**

**Jin: goodnight, Y/N :)**

**You: goodnight**

You don't know why you had suddenly..."accidentally" almost invited Jin over. You would never invite a guy over...this late at night, even if it's your best friend. What would people think seeing a man go into your apartment at this time of night?

You hope he doesn't think more about it and you try to ignore anymore of these thoughts and focus back onto the subject at hand: food.

After downloading a delivery app, you scroll through and see way too many options. Finally you settle on the nearest chicken place with a decent enough rating and place an order for a variety pack including boneless wings and lots of sauces. 

Before you even have a chance to change into your pajamas, the food arrives!

You dig in immediately but after just a couple bites, you realize how lonely this feels. You've gotten used to someone's company. The TV can be decent companionship you think so you turn your television on. There's nothing really good on at this time of night. You flip and flip until you see a familiar face. 

It's a news channel and it's talking about BTS breaking the record for most viewed video on YouTube. 

Wow. Crazy to think you know these people.

You grab your phone and begin typing a message before you stop yourself. You want to congratulate them but you know you shouldn't be smothering them, especially Jin. You worry he'll tire of you soon.

What's even more crazy is to think how you can't even miss someone in peace. It's hard to avoid him which makes it especially difficult to avoid these feelings that are growing. You wonder if distance would actually help them to subside. You're afraid that you're going to accidentally say something stupid to him again. Maybe it would be good if you were honest about what you're feeling lately instead of pretending all the time.

You take a big bite of chicken.

 _"You are what you eat. You're chicken."_ You tell yourself. 

Unfortunately, it's true. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again so sorry for the long wait on this :( plz forgive me. I wanted to get a chapter out quick and update the story so yall are continually left with nothing but I hope to start releasing more often again and get this story progressing more cuz I'm sure we're all curious about what's going to happen next. ;) I have a lot of planned stories so I'm definitely going to continue it- don't worry!
> 
> I've just been struggling with a lot lately-- from family to looking for jobs and freelance stuff plus mental health... I also started YouTube channel (finally) and omg it's so much work. I only have basically friends and family following it right now, but I'm hoping to grow it to be a legit channel so although it's a tiny audience right now, I'm still putting in the effort into producing quality videos so if someone were to come across it, they'd want to subscribe. Anyway, I just felt like you guys deserved some explanation as to what's been going on. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	8. Food for Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her mind racing with thoughts, Y/N struggles with her increasing anxiety on her day off after a busy week of avoiding her feelings and Jin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please, enjoy my finally updated story :)

Lying in your bed, you turn over so that you rest on your side to look out the window so as to see a continuous downpour. The rain beats against your window violently. It feels like the sun is a forgotten thing since it's only alternated between cloudy and raining this week. I suppose it fits your mood quite well. 

After you nearly stupidly invited Jin over, you've been too anxious to even see him-- or even just text him for that matter as you fear you might slip up again and say something stupid. 

There you're thinking about it again! You pull the covers up over your face in embarrassment as you replay the digital conversation in your head. 

You worry that he will get the wrong idea about you and that he'll start thinking of you as just another girl who is interested in him, whether it's due to his looks, fame, any superficial reason girls usually go after him. 

_"I hope he genuinely knows that he's my best friend."_ You think to yourself. _"I would never do anything to ruin it..."_

_"Or would I?"_

You toss and turn in frustration-- and disbelief that you would question your feelings about your friend. 

Things would be simpler if he weren't so charming and handsome. 

_"Things maybe would also be simpler if I weren't so average and ordinary. We could maybe actually... date. Gosh. Sometimes, I can't even believe he can stand me as a friend."_

Having a day off is a blessing and a curse. You love not having to go to work during a storm but hate being given the free time for your anxious thoughts to run wild. It's so bad that it's practically got you bedridden. You've even skipped both breakfast and lunch today. You can't stomach a meal when your anxiety has caused your insides to knot up. At least when you have work, your mind is forced to focus on the task at hand. 

Also, being busy with work gives a great excuse to reject invites. There's been a couple times this week that Jin has attempted to reach out to you so that you guys could go for a meal but you avoided each time through claiming a busy schedule. 

For the past ten minutes, you have been debating about how to reply to a new text from him. 

You hold up your phone to analyze the message's contents again. 

**Jin: Hey there! I know you've been pretty busy these past few days...but I think all of us here miss you so lemme know when your next day off is and we can do something. :)**

_"He said 'all of us' so... does that mean we'd do something with all the guys again? I guess maybe I'd be more comfortable with a group than just him."_

Your eyes widen in shock at your own thoughts, _"How can you be uncomfortable with your own best friend?! Stop overthinking. You're fine."_

Finally, after fifteen minutes, you type a response that takes 5 seconds to type and even less time to send:

**You: hey! sorry I've been busy lately :( you guys ok? sure you have time to hang?**

Instant regret.

_"Why did I word it like that? Maybe I can unsend."_

Too late. It's not even been a minute and...

**Jin: Yay! You're alive. I was getting worried.**

**Jin: Well, you know a boy's gotta eat.**

You chuckle at his response. _"Could he have been worried about me?"_

Unsure of the "right" response, you hover over the keys until you type a word and send:

**You: true.**

_"Is that cold?"_ You begin to wonder. 

Maybe not because sure enough he sends another message:

**Jin: Have you eaten?**

You can't lie...

**You: No. You?**

Sitting up, you look at your phone in anticipation until the next notification appears:

**Jin: I could eat again.**

You hold your phone and feel your hands shake. Is it the hunger or nerves? You carefully start to type and pause for a moment before sending:

**You: Oh?**

Surprisingly, a new message appears instantly:

**Jin: Yeah so if you could eat with me, that'd be great**

You laugh. Even his messages sound jokey. 

**You: With just you or?**

**Jin: Yeah... is that okay?**

_"Is it okay? Of course it's okay. Why wouldn't it be okay? He's your best friend. It's normal for best friends to eat...alone...together."_ So you agree to meet.

**You: LOL of course!**

You stare at your phone attentively waiting for a response until you realize ten minutes have already passed. _"That's weird...he went from responding immediately to now..."_

Suddenly, a notification:

**Jin: Better be cuz I'm outside your apartment waiting for you.**

You jump out of bed. Horrified, you look at the mirror to see yourself: perfect. Bedhead, swollen face, anything that could be wrong with you is present and staring back at you. There's no way he can be outside for you.

_Knock, knock. Ring, ring._

_"No. There's no way he's here and literally knocking AND ringing my door bell simultaneously."_

You look down on your bed to see your mobile phone ringing. It's Jin.

_"Of course, he is calling on top of it all."_

You answer the phone. The lesser of the two evils in the situation-- at least he can't see through the phone. 

"Hello?" You answer. 

You hear a heavy breath say, "Are you not home?" 

_"Why does he sound like that? Did this jerk run here just to make me suffer?"_

"Why would you ask that?" You inquire. 

Jin huffs, "First of all, that's not answering my question. Secondly, I'm outside. I've rang the bell _and_ knocked. No one answered." You can hear his whine at the end. 

"Dude, why didn't you let me know you were on your way? I'm not ready to go out." You whimper. 

He chuckles, "What do you mean? Come on. Let me in." 

Kind of irritated, you sigh, "Fine." 

Hanging up, you quickly run around your apartment to find a pair of pants to slip over your bare legs. Frantically, you brush your untamed hair back and slip on a baseball cap to hide the mess. You glance in the mirror, disappointed at what you see. _"Don't even have time for makeup. I hate this guy."_

 _Knock, knock, knock._ Over and over.

"Coming, you impatient prick!" You slide across the apartment and swing open the door to see an effortlessly handsome human.

"What took you so long?" He asks as he pushes past you into your apartment. "Oh, finally Y/N's castle. Nice, nice."

You roll your eyes, "Someone failed to notify me that I was going to be forced to go out." 

He turns around and pouts at you, "So ungrateful." 

"Man, it was my day off. I don't get out unless I have to." You explain.

"I'm disappointed that you didn't tell me you had the day off. We could have been hanging out or something." He whines. 

You frown, "Sorry, I just..." then you stop yourself.

He takes a couple steps closer to you, "What's wrong?"

"Sorry. No, it's nothing. Sorry." 

He frowns, "You've apologized like three times in three seconds."

You quickly apologize again.

"Stop. You have nothing to apologize for. I just want to know if my best friend is okay. After not seeing you for like a week--which is a long time for us--I just started worrying." He says.

You look down, embarrassed. "Jin, I really am sorry though-- I just, to be honest, don't feel like myself. I didn't want you to have to be with someone that isn't truly the person you believe to know." 

"That makes me sad." He replies. "Specifically that you feel you have to avoid me during times like that. You should be able to feel comfortable to be yourself with me. Any version of yourself."

You feel your eyes starting to water so you quickly turn away. "I need to finish getting ready." You claim as an excuse.

"Really? You look great to me." He says. "Wait...are you trying to get rid of me? Are you trying to avoid this conversation?" 

You continue to walk away.

"Y/N! You hear me?" He calls after you.

Since you don't reply, still trying to hold tears in, he follows you across the apartment until he's in reach to lightly grab your arm.

"Y/N, stop hiding from me." He whispers. 

His fingers lightly trail across your arm like a wisp of a feather, causing a chill to run through your spine rather than a sense of comfort as he may intend. 

In this moment, something hits you and you realize you were, in fact, not ready. The chills have provoked something. You look down and see you're right as you've forgotten to put on a bra in amidst the rush to put an end to the obnoxious knocks at your door. 

You quickly remove yourself from the room and sprint into your bedroom. Locking the door, you take a sigh, hoping he didn't notice.

"What happened?!" He yells. 

You pause, trying to think of a response without explaining what's really wrong. 

"I just remembered something! One moment." You call back. 

You rummage through your laundry you have failed to fold to find a bra. Finally, you have it in your hands and quickly put it on before this man rushes you again. 

Now, fully dressed, you exit your bedroom to see Jin looking around your kitchen. 

"Jin! Why are you snooping around my place?!" You exclaim. 

He sticks his head out of your cupboards and looks at you, "I have a better question. Why are your cupboards still bare?" 

You rub your head, embarrassed. 

Walking over to you, he says, "Since I'm not eating with you everyday anymore and now knowing your kitchen is empty, I worry you're not eating." 

"Obviously, that's not something you need to worry about." You retort, motioning to your figure. 

He glares at you, "Stop. Now, I'm even more concerned about you, girl. You must take care of yourself." 

You shrug off his words. 

"If you won't, I'll have to." He says.

"Do what?" You ask, confused by both the conversation and mostly your feelings.

Jin looks at you in a way he has never before. He usually is smiling, whether it's because of a joke or just simply due to his confidence. However, in this moment, he looks so serious but his eyes sorrowful. 

He grabs your hand and responds, "Take care of you." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again sorry for the long gaps of time in releasing these chapters! this was a vulnerable one to write as I've been going through some similar situations as Y/N is. I hope that you guys can all relate and feel comfort in knowing you're not alone.


	9. Cool as a Cucumber but Bit of a Pickle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin's idea to help relieve Y/N's stress only increases it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> possible trigger warning//panic attack

Walking through the city at night feels unreal sometimes. The sky may be pitch black but you'd never know because of the lights coming from not just the numerous street lamps but also the various lit buildings and skyscrapers. Though the day technically is coming to an end, it seems to you that this is when it really begins. Ironically, the death of the day makes one feel alive. The nightlife of Seoul is amazing and unlike any other.

However, sometimes, you prefer to experience such a night as this from the comfort of your bedroom. You love the view and getting to admire the riveting nightlife from afar, free from human interaction. Although you love it here and the people are great, some situations increase your nerves and anxiety. One of these is through clubbing. Not that you would know anything about clubbing. You've yet to go. It's just when you imagine it, it all seems so scary. The combination of crowds, lights, and music. Honestly, it's not too far off from your current environment.

All you really do know is that tonight will not be your first time to experience a club. 

"Come on, Y/N, I think it'll really help you relieve some of this tension and stress you've been experiencing lately." Jin prods you. 

You throw Jin's hoodie over his head, "Let's not argue out in the middle of Seoul, dude. What if someone--" 

He interrupts, "We're not arguing." 

"Jin, I've never been before and I'm already too anxious to deal with a new situation like that." You explain.

"Y/N, you moved here not really knowing anyone and you were fine." He counteracts. 

You feel people's eyes lingering on you two. You don't know if it's because, despite his mask, hat, hoodie, and even glasses, Jin is still undeniably recognizable (darn his Dorito physique) or two people are arguing in public (a rare sight in South Korea). Either way, it's increasing your anxiety. You don't like people looking at you. You don't want any attention. You start feeling like the once shimmering lights of the city are blinding and the combination of traffic, nearby street dancers and their music, and Jin's voice are morphing into one piercing sound. 

"Y/N, are you okay? You don't look--" Jin begins to say.

A bead of sweat drops down your face despite the chilling temperature.

Unable to catch a breath, you begin to feel faint. Quickly, you snatch his wrist to steady yourself. "I-I need to go." 

"Come on. We need to get you a water or something." Jin unwraps your hand from his wrist and grabs it despite its clamminess and leads you. 

You stumble, causing Jin to turn around to see you bending over. 

"Do you need me to carry you?" He asks.

You gasp, "No, no, no, no."

You breathe in through your nose, then out your mouth a couple times before saying, "I just need to go."

The two of you tread through the crowd, Jin's hand holding onto you, until you arrive to the nearest convenience store. 

Fortunately, it had a little outdoor patio of sorts with no one around except for the cashier inside. Jin motions for you to take a seat while he goes in to grab a drink. 

You're finally able to feel some relief now that you're out of the crowd and free from another's gaze and judgment. You wish that you weren't so easily affected by others, yet here you are. Despite being a hardworking adult, you still continue to experience this. In this moment, you begin to comprehend your surroundings: convenience store, outside, you're alone. 

_"Wasn't he with me?"_ You ponder until you remember. _"Did he go inside? Oh no. Is he going to get recognized? Even worse...did he witness me have a panic attack? Oh my gosh. It's over. He's never going to want to hang out with me again."_

It's almost a miracle of sorts it hadn't happened sooner considering the number of times you two have been to crowded restaurants. Not to mention the number of times people almost recognized Jin. Ah well, it was nice while it lasted.

Before your mind could wander off any further, he returns with not just a drink but two and some snacks. 

"I hope you don't mind. I decided to get some food too. I remembered you hadn't had dinner yet so I think maybe that's why you got faint." He says as he places some cup ramen and tteokbokki in front of you. "I know you prefer it with cheese so I added some too." 

Your mouth falls open, surprised for a number of reasons: the kindness!! Wow, he got all your favorites. But...also, did he not realize what happened? Does he think you just were hungry? He does have a point though... Dang, if only he knew you hadn't eaten today at all. 

"Wow, thank you, Jin. This is so nice of you." You sincerely tell him.

He laughs while he takes a seat next to you. "Literally the cheapest meal I've ever gotten you. You're easier to impress than I thought." 

You begin to laugh too, "No, just that you also remember what I like. Thank you." 

He opens a bottle of water for you, then makes you take a sip by placing it against your lips. "I know that it tastes better with alcohol or a soda, but you need this so drink up." 

You grab the water bottle and begin drinking. "I'm not a baby."

"Kind of." He mutters. 

You gasp, "What did you say?!" 

"I told you I'd take care of you since you're not." He smiles. "Now. Eat." 

You sigh, tired of arguing. You take a big spoonful of noodles and tteokbokki before sipping on the broth. You feel him looking at you, causing you to feel nervous again. 

Taking a breath, you finally work up the courage to ask him if really knows what happened earlier. Before you even open your mouth, he breaks the silence:

"Why do I feel so happy right now?"

You choke, whether it's from the spices or his words. Who knows? 

"Here, here, you still need to drink the water." He says as he guides the bottle to you. 

You take the water bottle from him and look away, embarrassed as usual. 

While you take yet another gulp of water, he smirks, "If you eat all your food, I might buy you a dessert. Might even let you pick anything you want in the store."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise things will get better :) thanks for sticking with me.


	10. Blame It on the Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin is being uncomfortably nice, causing Y/N to worry more. However, she quickly puts a stop to it, resulting in some unexpected awkwardness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)) this chapter became banter.

Just a few minutes ago seems like a lifetime ago now. It seems almost crazy that, at that time, the world seemed like it was screaming at you and spinning out of control simultaneously. Because, now, everything is so quiet, that the crickets' chirping seem to be in surround sound. 

Maybe, it seems crazy because it is crazy...and _you_ are crazy.

No.

Stop. 

Why are you thinking like that? 

You're fine.

"Y/N?" 

You look up to see Jin and realize you had been looking far too long at a stain of who-knows-what on the table. 

"You okay?" He asks with an expression of worry. "You haven't touched the food for a couple minutes. That's a long time for you."

You manage a chuckle, hoping it'll stop him from worrying any further about you. 

Despite the fact that you're eating your favourite convenience store junk foods, you're with your best friend, the night is serene and the stars are out, you can't enjoy what should be a perfect night. After having a literal panic attack in front of him, your anxiety hasn't given you permission to forget about it, calm down, and not worry yourself that Jin's going to suddenly never want to see you again. Continually, you try to stop yourself from thinking further about it. Jin already said he thought the whole incident was because you hadn't ate yet. 

"I thought you liked it--" He begins.

You quickly interrupt, "I do!" You take a big bite of tteokbokki to ensure him of this.

He lightly nods and gives you a smile. "Want me to get you anything else?" 

"Jin, stop." You laugh through a bite of noodles. "You're being way too nice; I'm actually uncomfortable." 

He lowers his mask and scowls at you angrily, "You can't tell me to stop if I don't want to!" 

You burst out laughing, "Did you seriously take off your mask just so I could see your mean face?" 

"No," He glares at you. "I _lowered_ my mask."

"Okay, well, now, _un-lower_ it before someone recognizes you." You order.

"Just because of that, I'm doing the complete opposite." He sasses as he flings his mask off. "Besides, no one's around. Who going to recognize me? That part-timer in the store? I don't think she even looked up from her phone when I paid." 

Smirking, you mutter, "Idiot."

"What you say?" 

"Nothing."

"Mmhmm..." He rolls his eyes before giving your dad hat's bill a tip, causing you to jump out of your seat.

He starts laughing at you, "So easy." 

You sit back down and kick his long stretched out legs underneath the table. 

He reaches across your meal to slam the cap back down on your head, then pulls the bill down to cover your face. 

"Why you wearing this?" He inquires. "You become so famous now you have to wear cap to hide your face?"

"What?" You start pulling up your hat. "No--"

He slams the bill back down over you, "What are you doing?! You can't have anyone find out your true identity!" He smirks at you. His large hand holds the cap down while his eyes move down to your pursed lips peaking out from underneath. Staring, to an onlooker, it might appear Jin is contemplating something. Even if he is, he's not even given time to realize this because you snap back.

Your hand meets his, hitting it away. You pull your cap back up so that your eyes meet his. Despite the uncomfortable short distance between the two of you, you manage a straight face and give him the coldest look you can manage despite that you're not _really_ mad at him. While you're busy trying to appear upset, Jin's smirk hasn't left yet.

You give him a gentle punch to his arm, "What's with you and that stupid look on your face?" This only causes the smirk to morph into a grin. 

"God, you're so cute." He says, breathlessly. 

You cross your arms and roll your eyes, "What? You're just now realizing this?" 

The grin disappears and he retorts, "Yeah. Guess it only happens when you're mad." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" You huff. 

Suddenly, that infamous smirk of his returns as he replies, "It means you're damn cute when you're angry." 

The night once cool suddenly feels like a humid July evening. You can feel your cheeks become pink. You quickly take another bite of tteokbokki. Scarfing it down, you finish off the remaining ramen too. 

Concern returns. "Sure you're okay?" Jin asks you as he puts the back of his hand against your forehead. "You're red." 

You gulp, nervous and swallowing any remainder of food. "Yeah, yeah. It's just this brand, you know, it's really spicy so--" 

"I thought you liked spicy." He gasps.

You chuckle, "I do. Sometimes, my body reacts in such a way I think it doesn't agree with my own preference." 

Ah, yes, blame it on the innocent food. 

Somehow, what you just said is all too true. 

Your mind, right now, is saying it's a really bad idea to ever develop any sort of feelings for this (beyond) handsome man sitting across from you. However, your body is saying "too late." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this one! Thought it might be bit more fun after the past more serious couple of chapters.


	11. Slower than Molasses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N just wanted to relax and rest. Despite everything, the night finally does come to an end only for Y/N to find out the next night is going to be even more eventful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> meant to post this sooner rather than later yet here we are :))

Jin made sure you ate all your food before he'd let you two leave. He had bought so much though that it took longer to finish the meal than usual. Especially, considering the rush of anxiety that hit... it was hard to stomach.

After taking one last bite of a kimbap, Jin cleaned the trash off the table. You watched him go back and forth from table to the trash can, then how he cleaned off the table so there'd be no crumbs left behind. You couldn't help but admire his conscientiousness and generosity. After wiping the table with a napkin, his eyes meet yours. "What?" He asks, curiously.

You blink, "What?"

"Dude, you were staring at me." He chuckles.

You laugh nervously as you protest, "No, I wasn't!"

He rolls his eyes before saying, "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt because you've seemed to have a rough day." Then he taps your nose. 

You rub your nose clean. "Wow, thank you so much. So nice." You reply, sarcastically. 

Jin began to walk away, into the streets. Your short legs struggle to catch up in comparison to his.

Honestly, he really is being nice to not retort to your sarcasm with his usual sarcastic remarks. 

“Wait for me, please.” You beg in between pants for air.

You hear him chuckle before he suddenly stops and turns around to see you. He pouts, “Poor thing.”

His pouted lips morph into a smile before he sticks his arm through yours.

You huff, “Not in the mood for any patronization tonight, Jin”

“I’ll try to behave.” He sighs. “At least just for tonight.”

Although the city was extremely bright and alive with nightlife, once you approached the neighborhoods, the night became darker and darker, making you glad that you were not walking alone. However, you still didn't like this giant of a guy weighing you down with his arms. You attempt to loosen out from the pretzel he's created of your arms. He simply responds by utilizing his strength and reworking the position. Finally, his arm wraps around your shoulders, pulling you in. 

"Could you stop?" You politely ask. 

He holds you closer instead and replies, "It's really chilly out." 

You want to argue but you can't because it is really cold. Why can't Jin just offer a coat or something? Why does he have to--

Then you notice a suspicious-looking man in a coat lurking on the corner of a dimly-lit alley. You feel Jin's grip get tighter and his pace pick up before sharply heading in the opposite direction of your apartment. 

"Where are we going? My pl--" 

"Let's go to the bar, babe." He says. 

"But--" 

Jin gives you a squeeze and then you realize he's trying to detour in case someone follows. 

You end up walking longer than you had hoped and end up not even recognizing areas, but it was better safe than sorry. Finally, Jin returned you to familiar locations and you walk into your neighborhood park. 

"Sorry about earlier--questioning what you were doing." You apologize. 

He pats your head, "It's okay. I'm just glad I was with you. Does that kind of thing happen often?" 

You glance down, avoiding eye contact. You don't want to tell him that you have noticed sketchy characters around before and cause him to worry.

He groans, "Your hesitation is informing me 'yes.'" 

"I'm sorry--" 

He grabs your hands and holds them, "Y/N, stop apologizing. You don't need to. I'm just worried about you. I'm not comfortable with you living in this neighborhood and I'm especially not comfortable with you walking by yourself--" 

You interrupt, "Jin, it's just part of life. Everyone has to deal with this kind of stuff." 

"That's not true. I don't have to." He retorts. 

"Well, yeah, but it's different. You have other things to worry about." You state.

Convicted, he frowns, "I'm sorry to end things tonight on such a bad note. You were already feeling bad." 

You force yourself to smile, afraid that your bad mood has rubbed onto him. He returns the gesture of the smile. 

He removes one hand from yours and motions as invitation to continue heading home. You nod and begin walking towards the building. 

As if a thought just entered his head, he suddenly asks, "Hey, what are you doing tomorrow? I know you been busy a lot, but--"

"I actually have nothing to do tomorrow so I'll probably rest." You quickly respond, unsure why you won't let the guy just finish his thoughts before interjecting your own.

He hums, "Ah, that's good. You deserve it." 

Before you could touch the building, you stopped and removed Jin's hand from your own. “Thank you for walking me.”

“What do you mean? I haven’t walked you up yet.” He inquires.

“Um, I’d just prefer if you don’t come up.” You say.

He asserts, “Y/N, this doesn’t make—“ 

“I just don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea.” You try to explain. “It doesn’t look good for me to have a guy at my apartment this late at night.”

He reasons, “I’m literally not even coming in. I’m simply walking you to make sure you’re okay.”

“What if someone recognizes you?” You pose. 

“Now, you’re overthinking.” He scoffs.

Your face can’t hide its feelings very well. You bite your tongue, hoping it'll somehow magically stop you from beginning to cry. The eyes still manage to water. 

He realizes what he said hurt you. “I didn’t mean it like that.” He tries to retract. “I’m sorry. I mean to say that there’s nothing to worry about. It’s okay. We’re both adults. Neither situation is bad if either were to happen. Okay?”

You quickly brush a tear that managed to escape and give a gentle nod in response. 

“Okay. Good. Now, I’m walking you.” He grabs your hand again and walks you up. You’re still uncomfortable and overly anxious but, much to your relief, you don’t notice anyone noticing you. You put in your door’s passcode and open the door. You walk in and give Jin a little wave goodbye.

“Thank you for everything. Trying to cheer me up, buying me food, everything.” You tell him.

“One of these days, you will pay me back.” He reveals. 

You laugh, “How in the world?” 

He shushes you, then whispers, “You still haven’t gone clubbing.”

“Excuse you.” You glare at him. 

“From my memory, you’re free tomorrow night… guess what? So am I. I’ll picking you up at 10pm sharp.” He blows a kiss before closing your door.

You stumble into your apartment in disbelief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited to write the next chapter :)) let me know what you think so far?
> 
> also... I might be getting a parttime and a freelance job-- both involve a camera. :)


	12. Club Sandwich

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's your first time going to a club, but, maybe with moral support from a few friends, it'll be okay. Unless, those friends end up in a conflict.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wanting to write this for so long-- I hope it's ok! :( 
> 
> Also, I'm thinking about inserting images in the chapters from now on just occasionally to give visual to the locations and whatnot. Let me know what you think?

You haven't been able to focus on _anything_ at all today because, in the back of your mind, you kept thinking about Jin. Well, specifically, Jin and his plans to have you experience a club for the first time.

Gosh, hasn't he ever considered that there might be a reason why you've never gone clubbing?

You wish you could continue to avoid it, but, after last night, you almost feel worse if you didn't go. Somehow, Jin didn't realize you had had a panic attack and thinks you were just feeling unwell due to not eating. If you go along to the club and manage to pretend to enjoy it, he'll never suspect your anxiety and panic attacks. 

Only thing is...

How to manage not having a panic attack at a crowded place with loud music and strobing lights? 

_"I really wish I had work today so I could avoid this..."_

Your phone buzzes off the table, causing you to jump. You grab it and see that it's Jin.

**Jin: Hey! Almost ready for tonight?**

You type a short and sweet response:

**Y/N: Yup! Can't wait.**

**Jin: Great. I'll be there to pick you up in about half an hour... also I'm bringing a friend. :)**

Oh no... 

Who could it be?

You wonder what to wear to a club... anytime you've seen any pictures or videos of people at a club, everyone was dressed so weird. Just because most girls wear tight, short dresses, doesn't mean you have to. You don't want to draw _any_ attention so you opt for black skinny jeans and a loose-fitting white T. Pretty much the most basic combination. 

_"Do they even eat at these places? Or is it just drinking?"_ With time to spare since your fashion choice took barely anytime, you stumble into your kitchen. 

"Darn it, I didn't go to the store." You sigh in frustration looking at the bare cabinets. 

You warm up some instant rice and top it with some gochujang and scarf it down before you hear the doorbell. 

Slipping on some Converse, you make your way to the door. 

"Who is it?" You sing. 

A laugh is heard through the door. 

"Never mind, I recognize that laugh." You open the door to see Jin, dressed quite stylishly in black trousers and a slim-fitting floral button-up (but with a hoodie on top, as well as a face mask). 

He smiles, "Ready?" 

You fake the first of many grins for the night. 

He leads you downstairs and opens the car's door for you. You get in the backseat to see another young man. 

"Jimin?! What are you doing here?" You exclaim. 

Jimin reaches over to give you a hug to which you accept happily. 

"When I heard Jin was going clubbing, I didn't want to be left out... then I heard you were also going to be there so I knew I had to go." He grinned. 

You blush, "Aw, you're so sweet." 

"Yo, Y/N, scoot in so I can get in." Jin says. 

You slide on over, Jimin pulling you close to his side. 

You apologize, "Sorry, Jin, didn't realize you weren't sitting in the front." 

As he climbs into the vehicle, he explains, "Dude, it's filled. We got a driver tonight, as well as--"

Hoseok peeks his head into the backseat, "How can you not notice me, Y/N?"

"Hobi! Jin told me he was bringing someone, not two someones!" You gasp. "It's so good to see you!"

He beams, "It was a surprise!" 

You smile, "I am surprised." 

Hoseok laughs, "Success." 

"So, 3/7 of BTS is out. Where's the rest?" You inquire. 

Jin rests against the window, "Well, Yoongi and Namjoon are busy at work, trying to meet a deadline... I can't talk too much about it, to be honest. Jungkook had talked Tae into playing a new video game with him and, well, let's just say it was getting really competitive." 

"Oh, wow." You say. "Well, I'm glad you all could come." 

Jimin pokes your leg, causing you to look at him. He pulls at his shirt, then yours. 

"We're matching." He smiles. 

You look to see that he was wearing ripped black skinny jeans with a loose-fitted white V-neck T-shirt. 

"Oh my gosh, you're right." You chuckle. 

You can hear Hoseok smirk, "People will think you're dating." 

Jimin puts his arm around you, hugging you. 

You laugh, "Maybe that's a good thing! I'm really nervous some random drunk guy will hit on me." 

Jin pats your hand, "You have nothing to worry about. No guy would dare mess with you when you have 3 bodyguards." 

"Bodyguards?" You repeat. "But don't you yourself need a bodyguard?" 

Hoseok responds, "We'll be fine. Don't worry." 

"If you don't want to join the crowd downstairs, there's the upstairs which is only for exclusive." Jimin explains.

You soon realize that you're in Itaewon as you start to see all of the international restaurants and diverse groups of people walking around. 

The car pulls up in front of the club and the driver gets out to open the doors. 

The boys all put on masks and hoodies before getting out of the car. Jimin helps you out and then grabs your hand. 

Jin leads the way into the club as he shows the bouncer his ID. 

You curse. 

"Oh my gosh. I think I forgot my ID." You whisper as you rummage through your pockets. 

Hoseok says, "Nah, don't worry. As long as you're with us, you don't have to worry." 

"Hey, Jimin, what's up?" The bouncer asks. 

"Things are good. How about you?" Jimin responds as he walks in. 

Hoseok wraps his arm around you, "She's with us." 

The bouncer nods and gives Hoseok a grin. 

"I didn't think bouncers were allowed to smile." You chuckle. 

You walk in with Hoseok to a wave of EDM washing over you. 

The two of you slowly make your way into the crowd. 

"Oh my gosh, where are the guys?" You begin panicking. 

Hoseok points ahead and you see Jin's broad shoulders peaking out from behind a small lady who has already started to attempt dancing with him-- and that's with him still wearing a mask and hoodie. Girls just love those shoulders. 

You quickly push into the crowd until you meet up with the rest. Falling into Jin, he grabs your wrist and leads you upstairs. 

A mysterious looking man opens the door once Jin takes his mask off. 

The upstairs is really similar to the downstairs except the crowd is 1/5 the size. Still, a bit too crowded for your taste but it's an improvement. 

Jin walks you over to a closed-off lounge. 

"You can sit here whenever you'd like a break. No one will bother you." He tells you. "Except maybe...me." 

You smile, "You can bother me all you want." 

Jin leans down to you, "Promise?" 

Jimin runs up to you two, "Y/N! What would you like to drink?" 

"Oh, I don't know... A water?" You reply.

Jimin laughs, "You're funny." 

Confused, you look at Jin. "Why is he laughing?" 

"Because you said water when he asked you if you want a drink." Jin says. 

Suddenly, you realize--

"Oh, I don't know-- I don't drink a lot so I'm not sure what to get. I'll just have, I don't know, a piña colada?" You come up with.

Hoseok chuckles, "Like the song." 

You giggle, "Yeah, sure, like the song." 

Jimin leaves to get the drinks. 

Jin begins to say something when the music changes. A remix of "party (Shut Down)" by Crush and Sik-K comes on and Hoseok grabs you. 

"Y/N, come, dance with me." He tells you. 

You follow him, reluctantly. 

"Hoseok, I can't dance...especially not in comparison to you." You oppose. 

Hobi grabs your waist, bringing you closer as he begins dancing. "Nonsense. Everyone can dance, especially at a club. You just let the music move you." 

"I don't know what that even means." You sigh. 

"Watch me and see how I follow the music." He says. 

As you watch him, you realize you'll never be able to do what he does. He sweeps his hair back, revealing his forehead, before reaching out to you. You try to follow his movements, but, in the process, get lost in just watching him. His denim jacket begins slipping off, revealing his bare chest. 

"Y/N, you're not dancing." He laughs. 

Jimin walks over with two piña coladas, "That's because she needs a drink first." 

You gasp, "You got me two?!" 

Jimin retorts, "No, it's mine." 

"You got the same as me?" You ask. 

"I've never had one." He says. 

"Ooooh, take a sip. I'm curious if you will like it. It's popular back home." You tell him. 

He sips the golden beverage and smiles, "It's sweet." He hands you your drink, "Like you." 

Hoseok tells Jimin, "She's claiming she cannot dance so I'm trying to show her." 

Jimin tells you, "Drink some, then I'll help." 

Suddenly feeling thirsty, you quickly drink half of the tall glass. Jimin grabs it and sets it down on a nearby table with his. 

The lights turn red and the song changes to "Me Like Yuh" by Jay Park. 

"I was trying to tell her to just let the music move her, then I tried telling her just follow me." Hoseok explains to Jimin. 

"Okay. Let's see." Jimin nods. 

Hoseok begins dancing again and you immediately begin feeling intimated again. 

Suddenly, you feel Jimin dancing behind you, causing you to fall forward into Hoseok. He raises you up and Jimin grabs onto your waist, his hands slowly trailing down to your hips. 

"Just start moving them along the beats and everything else will follow." Jimin whispers in your ear. 

You follow his instructions, hoping that it'll remove all of their attention from you. 

"Good." He tells you. 

Hands still on your hips, he begins dancing with you. 

Hoseok smiles, "Here, now this." He runs his hands up your arms for you to began moving them. 

"Perfect." His hands move to your waist as he smirks. "All I needed was Jimin's assistance apparently." 

"How about you thank me by giving me a dance?" Jimin asks him. 

"Why didn't you just ask? Hoseok pulls Jimin in between you two and begins dancing against him. 

Jimin pushes Hoseok's chest while laughing, "You know what I mean." He turns to you, grabs your waist, and pulls you up against him. He stares you down. "Why'd you stop dancing?" 

You begin moving your hips again, hoping it's good enough and they'll finally let you rest. 

"Put your arms around me." Jimin whispers in your ear. 

You always thought Jimin was really cute and sweet, but when he whispers... you feel kind of scared as you do as you are told. 

Putting your arms around his neck, his hands lower and Hoseok comes behind you dancing. Impulsively, you react by falling but you catch yourself, holding onto Jimin. 

"When I said I like sandwiches, this isn't what I necessarily meant." You awkwardly chuckle. 

Hoseok laughs, "She said sandwich." 

"What is it? Jihope sandwich?" Jimin's face starts turning pink. 

"What are you guys doing?!" Jin walks up. "I go to get some food and you guys are attacking her?!" 

"Dude, we're just teaching her how to dance." Hoseok explains. 

"Bro, get off her." Jin's voice seems to get lower. 

Hoseok backs away. 

"You too." Jin turns to Jimin. 

"We're just dancing. She didn't say she didn't want--" Jimin tries to explain.

"Y/N, are you comfortable?" Jin interrogates you. "Do you want to dance?" 

You hesitate, "Honestly, I'm... not." 

"Would you like to come with me and get something to eat?" He asks. 

You gently nod. 

He walks away, expecting you to follow. 

"Sorry." You mouth to Hoseok and Jimin. 

You quickly follow behind Jin, trying to catch up. 

Hoseok facepalms.

"I can't believe him." Jimin huffs. "Doesn't he act different these days?"

"Specifically, lately, when we're with Y/N." Hoseok points out. 

"Well, if he's not going to just admit he likes her, then he should let others--"

Hoseok grabs Jimin's arm, "Dude, don't even try." 

Jin sits into a booth in a lounge. There's a couple soju and already plenty of anju at the table, including French fries, fried chicken, and kimchi pancake.

"Oh, wow, they have so much food here!" You exclaim, grabbing a wing. 

Jin's cold glare finally breaks into a smile, "You know I wouldn't choose anywhere that doesn't have a lot of food to choose from." 

He hands you a menu, "I ordered all of my favorites, but you can pick more stuff out too if you want." 

"They even have sandwiches here?" Surprised, you mention. 

"I don't like sandwiches." He turns cold again.

"I know. One of the few things we don't agree on." You chuckle. "Maybe you've just not had a good one."

"Eh..." 

"Hey, Jin!" You hear a voice yell. 

You both turn around to see Jackson Wang walking towards you. 

"Hey, man, what's up?" Jin greets him. 

Jackson sits down next to you, "Oh, you know, not much. How about you guys?" 

"Y/N and I happened to have some free time." Jin tells him. "It's actually her first time at a club." 

"Ever?!" Jackson gasps. "Wow. Well, how do you like then?"

"It's interesting." You reply. "The food surpassed my expectations. I thought it would be just nuts." 

Jackson laughs, "Of course, that's what you're interested in." 

He looks at you and smiles knowingly, "So... I see you two are here...together." 

"Yes--" You then realize what he means so you quickly correct. "Actually, we're here with Hoseok and Jimin." You point over to the bar where Jimin is poking and teasing Hoseok who is already starting to shut down after one drink. 

"Oh." Jackson says, almost disappointingly. "Would you like to dance, Y/N?" 

"She just sat down to eat actually--" Jin begins. 

You wave him away and get up with Jackson. 

"I'll be back." You tell Jin who is now frowning while eating a French fry. 

You grab Jackson's hand and begin dancing alongside him. 

"Wanna make him jealous?" He smirks. 

"Shut up, Jackson." You roll your eyes. "I don't know what you're thinking, but you're wrong." 

"What are you thinking I'm thinking?" He teases. "Right now, I'm just thinking about you..." He takes your other hand and moves it to his shoulders. 

Your eyes widen, "Dang, your shoulders are so--"

"They're broader than his." He winks. 

Jimin bumps Hoseok and points at you dancing with Jackson. 

"She's doing so good." He smiles.

Hoseok leans against Jimin, "We're good teachers." 

"So, you two really aren't dating yet?" Jackson inquires. 

Irritated, you sigh, "I don't know why you keep talking like this. There's nothing between us, I swear. He would never be interested in me. We're best friends." 

"Mmhmm." Jackson hums. 

"What about you? Are you here alone?" You ask. 

"Of course not." Jackson nods towards another lounge. You turn around and see BamBam lounging casually in a booth, sipping on some fancy looking drink. His hair is slicked back and his Hawaiian shirt is buttoned just halfway. 

Your mouth falls open. Although, you should be used to celebrities by now... There's just something about BamBam. He radiates a whole different type of swag that makes you fall in awe. 

"Want me to introduce you?" He asks. 

You gently nod as Jackson grabs your hand and walks you over. 

BamBam smiles at you, "Hey, bro, who is this gorgeous girl?" 

Your face flushes. 

"This is Y/N, she's a photographer from (your country), but she now lives here for work. We actually had a photoshoot recently." Jackson introduces you. 

"A photographer? Really?" BamBam counters. "But, surely, she is a model." 

Your mouth falls open, "Me? A model?!" 

BamBam's eyes appear to examine you, "You have to be." 

"Stop-- whatever you're doing with your eyes right now." Jackson slaps BamBam. "She's also friends with Jin and he's over there." 

"You're friends with Kim SeokJin too?" BamBam asks. "You're popular, huh?" 

You giggle, "Not really, no. Hey, we were just eating when we ran into Jackson... do you want to join?" 

BamBam gets up, "Can I sit next to you?" 

The three of you walk back over to Jin who looks like he just lost his best friend...

"Jin, look, BamBam is here too!" You excitedly nudge him over. 

He raises his head, "Oh, hey, man, nice to see you." 

BamBam and Jackson get in the booth after you.

"Hey, I know you have to already know this, but I just have to say that you have a really cute friend." BamBam tells Jin. 

"Who?" Jin asks. 

BamBam blinks in disbelief. 

Jackson makes eye-contact with Jin before looking over to Y/N. 

"Oh! Y/N?" Jin shrugs it off and takes a bite of KFC. "Want some chicken?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is like a week later than I originally planned.
> 
> Literally, the past week has been really bad and this one's been bad so far too. :( But last week, I was sent out-of-town for testing, physical, shots, etc. for my new job and it LITERALLY took 6hrs if you include the drives too. :( I also did some wedding videography over the weekend and it was wild too. :/ I might need to stick to photography. lol.
> 
> Then there's been stuff happening at home-- my mom actually had a surgery today. So, it's just been kind of one thing after another. 
> 
> I'm in the process of final paperwork for starting my new part-time job (the one that made me spend hrs at an out-of-town clinic) and I'm so nervous.
> 
> I hope this chapter doesn't come across as rushed as it feels like to me. :((


	13. If you like piña coladas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of previous chapter of the group at club after running into Jackson and BamBam. A couple people get a little drunk and someone might be finna risk it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's been like a month since I've uploaded! Hopefully, I won't leave y'all waiting that long again.

Sometimes, you can just feel it when someone is looking at you and you can tell BamBam's eyes haven't moved from you for the past few minutes. You glance at Jin who is now staring down BamBam while Jackson is looking back-and-forth at all three of you, anticipating everyone's next move. You finish off your fruity beverage as you sit in anticipation for something to happen.

"This really your first time at a club, Y/N?" BamBam asks you. 

You hesitate because you were unable to quite make out exactly what he was saying as you got lost in the scent of his cologne. A small tap of the shoulder from Jackson provokes you to process and nod shyly. 

"Wow, I guess pretty girls just don't have much reason to go clubbing, do they, hmm?" BamBam inquires. 

You can hear Jin let out a groan. 

Feeling confused, you say, "I wouldn't know." 

Jackson leans over and whispers to you, "He's saying you're pretty, dude." 

Your head turns sharply to look at Jackson in shock. 

He nods. 

BamBam smiles at the two of you, "Jackson, you two have something going on that I don't know about?" 

Jackson chuckles and signals for you to respond. 

"Do I have to answer?" You ask. 

BamBam smirks, "I'd like to know." 

"Honestly, I liked him, but he didn't return it." You try to explain. 

BamBam and Jin blink in disbelief.

BamBam gasps, "Bro, how could you reject her?" 

Jackson facepalms before looking back up. "She's not explaining everything. I know someone who is interested in her and I don't want to get in the way." His eyes move from BamBam to Jin. 

"The guy just hasn't been honest and confessed to her yet." 

BamBam groans, "Dude needs to hurry up and get his shit together before some other guy comes and sweeps Y/N off her feet." 

By now, you're blushing from all this attention on you, especially coming from BamBam. Maybe it was the alcohol but you felt bold for a moment and blurted out, "I think some guy already has." 

All three guys' eyes widen. 

BamBam curiously asks, "Who might that be?" 

You lean into him and whisper, "You."

He basically took that as permission for him to do all that he's been thinking about doing since he first saw first saw you. 

"Really?" He smirks as one of his hands moves your hair out of your face. 

You manage a nod in response. 

"Good." He whispers as he leans into you. 

Jin quickly stands up, "BamBam, stop!" 

Jackson and BamBam anticipate something more than what the man says. 

Jin looks down, embarrassed, and says, "Y/N is drunk. I need to take her home." 

Protesting, you stand up too before quickly stumbling back down in your seat, "I've only had one drink! I'm not ready to go." 

"You've said it yourself. You rarely drink therefore one drink impacts you more. We're not arguing about this. You're going home." Jin retorts. 

He and Jackson remove themselves from the booth and begin trying to pull you out. You're fighting back so BamBam starts trying to assist as well, but Jin motions for him to stop. 

Finally, a rush of tiredness hits you and so you stop fighting and, finally, Jackson successfully pulls you out and hands you over to Jin who then grabs ahold of your waist. 

"Thanks, guys, it's always good to see you." Jin tells the guys. 

BamBam looks disappointed but gives him a nod of recognition. 

"Let's hang out sometime soon. Bring Namjoon-ah." Jackson smiles. 

You manage to walk a couple steps before Jin soon realizes he's going to have to carry you. 

He sighs in disbelief at everything. 

"Danced with everyone else but not with me." He mutters. 

You murmer something incoherent, causing him to quickly shut up. 

Jin tries to call out to Jimin and Hoseok to come along. They were still at the bar. Jimin was chatting up the bartender while Hoseok was barely keeping his head up.

Jin huffs as he puts you over his shoulders. He makes his way over to the bar. "Jimin, grab Hoseok. We're going." 

"Aw, already?" Jimin whines. "I was just talking to my new friend." 

"Hurry along now. Y/N and Hoseok are drunk so we should go." Jin tells him. 

Jimin sighs, "Fine. Hoseok can you walk?" 

Hoseok raises his head, confused. 

Jimin grunts as he tries to get his roommate on his shoulders. 

Thankfully, Jin knows the backway out so that not many people see you all leave. 

The driver was waiting with the vehicle out back too and came out to assist in getting everyone in. You and Hoseok end up slumped in the backseat together. 

Jin sits next to you and quickly moves Hoseok's hand that had fallen a little too close to your thigh. 

Completely out of it now, your head falls onto Jin's shoulder. He decides to leave it there to rest comfortably. He places an arm around you, bringing you closer to him. You're fast asleep by now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall, y/n was wildin lol 
> 
> although I totally see BamBam as a cool friend to have-- I know for sure he'd flirt, especially after a couple drinks. :p 
> 
> also, I tried to include more pics, including kind of the looks I'm imagining for the characters. Let me know if you want me to include pictures of Y/N outfits in the future, otherwise, I think I won't be too specific with them because I want you to determine Y/N appearance as much as possible if that makes sense.


	14. Simmer Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N struggles from the after effects of the previous night only to discover an intruder in her apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trying to update weekly again!

You open your eyes to see nothing. You are face deep into a pillow. Your head splitting, you dig yourself deeper into the pillow. 

Your body lies still in bed for a few minutes until everything hits you. 

Violently, you flip yourself over to see the ceiling. It looks familiar. You look down and you're in the exact same clothes you were wearing last night. 

_"I don't remember going home and going to bed though."_ You think to yourself. 

Shuffling to the bathroom, you groan in pain at the sudden movements. Your face could look better but it could also look worse. You quickly rinse it, followed by brushing your teeth. 

_"I should probably wash last night off of me. Whatever happened."_ You stumble into the shower after undressing. 

"Ow!" You shriek. The cold water wakes you. Quickly, you turn the hot water knob all the way until you can feel a sense of relief.

You let the hot water wash over you and ease your mind and body. Still, your mind continues to race. You hate that you can't remember everything that happened last night. 

_"I only had one drink."_ You tell yourself. _"It shouldn't be this bad. Ugh, but that glass was tall."_

Memories just slowly fading in. Jimin and Hoseok dancing. Jin ordering food. Running into Jackson. Meeting BamBam. BamBam flirting with you. You flirting with BamBam. 

_Oh my gosh!!_

You shut off the water and jump out of the shower. 

_"What happened last night, especially with BamBam? I need to find out."_ You dry off and put on your bathrobe. 

You begin to make your way to your bedroom to get your phone when you hear your front door opening. As you hear someone else's footsteps make their way into your apartment, you freeze in your tracks. Panicking, you continue into your bedroom and lock the door. You arm yourself with a pepper spray and taser. You go beside your door and before you can even breathe, you feel the doorknob rattle against you. 

"WHO IS THERE?" You scream. "I'll call the police!" 

"Y/N?" You hear a voice answer. 

"HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?" You cry. 

The voice gently responds, "Y/N, calm down--" 

"NOT UNTIL YOU TELL ME WHO YOU ARE, WHY YOU'RE HERE, HOW YOU KNOW MY NAME." You shout back. 

"It's Jin!" The voice finally says. "I'm here with hangover soup and some teas." 

"Jin?" Your voice breaks. 

"Yes." He replies. 

You slowly unlock the door and open it to see him. 

He pulls off his mask and baseball cap just in case you still question.

Eyes puffy from tears and face red from panic, you look down embarrassed before tackling him. You bury yourself in his chest and his arms wrap around your waist. 

"What's wrong?" He asks in his most gentle tone. 

You sniffle, "How'd you get in? I was so scared when I heard someone come in. No one has keys but me." 

"Honey, you gave me keys last night when I brought you home." He chuckles. 

You leave his arms and look up at him, shocked. "What?"

"Last night, you were drunk so I brought you home. You couldn't even really open the door for yourself so you somehow managed to mumble to me where your spare keys were and, well, I kept them so I could check on you today in case you were too drunk to get up." He explains. 

You sigh, "Well, at least, that explains some of it. I was so confused today when I woke up." 

"Are you okay?" He asks, brushing your arm. 

You look down, "Honestly, I think you scared the hangover out of me. Now, I'm just trying to recover from the scare of some sort of stalker breaking in." 

He laughs, "You thought I was a stalker?" 

"It's not funny!" You punch him. "It's scary being alone sometimes." 

"I'm sorry, honey." He whimpers. "What can I do to make you feel better? How about... I never leave you?" 

"I wish." You look up at him, eyes still watery. 

He pouts, "Don't look at me like that. I'll seriously never be able to leave you." 

"I'm not doing anything." You laugh. 

Suddenly, you feel a sharp pain in your head again. "Oh no. It's not gone yet."

"Hangover still?" Jin asks.

You nod, "I don't understand. It was just a tall glass." 

He laughs, "You literally never drink though." He puts an arm around you and begins walking you over to your bed, "Here. You should rest more." 

You crawl into bed and Jin pulls the covers over your body. 

"I'll go get you some of the soup and make you some tea." He begins to leave. 

You grab his arm, causing him to turn back. 

"I don't think I want any right now." You tell him. 

He gasps, "Now, I know you're really not feeling well if you're turning down food." He brushes some hair out of your face. "What would you like? Want porridge instead?" 

"You."

He steps back, "I'm sorry. What?" 

"Would you lie down here?" You ask. "My head still hurts. My (your guardian) used to stroke my hair when I was not feeling well and I always found it strangely comforting. Could you do that?" 

Immediately, Jin walked over to the next side of the bed. "Of course, anything that'll help you, Y/N." He tells you. 

"Would you like me to stay on top of the cover or...?" He asks cautiously. 

"I don't care." You tell him. 

He hesitates but ultimately decides to get under the covers with you. He stays a couple feet from you with just his hands and arms breaking the distance. 

His hand gently approaches you and begins to stroke your hair gently. 

Even when his hand has gotten tired, he switches to the opposite until you're relaxed enough that you fall asleep. A few minutes later, it results in both of you drifting off to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed <3


	15. Wake Up and Smell the Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin wakes up to see Y/N still asleep and wrestles with his feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick chapter because I needed to update! I'm going to try to write a couple more within the next couple days.

He didn't want to wake you. 

He also didn't want you to wake up in his arms. 

Or so he thought.

When Jin's eyes opened to see your head resting on his chest, his hands wrapped around you, he panicked. He believed that this is the exact kind of accidental action that could potentially destroy a perfectly good friendship and he couldn't risk it. Aside from the BTS members, he didn't have a lot of genuine friends. You were the one he could count on. He wanted to make sure that he didn't let anything ruin it, including his feelings. As a result, he gently removed his arms from you and ever so carefully slipped himself out from underneath you. He laid your head to rest on a pillow and pulled the blanket over you. Much to his relief, you were still so out if it from the hangover that you felt absolutely nothing. 

After he got up, Jin made himself useful and began warming up the soup and boiling a pot of water for tea. He began to rummage through your cabinets to find some rice to make. To his disappointment, he realizes that you have _still_ not gone proper grocery shopping and you only have instant rice available.

"Saves me time, I guess." He mutters. 

Suddenly, he hears a notification ring coming from somewhere. He checks his phone but there's nothing. He makes his way back to the bedroom to see a phone's light coming from the end of your bed. He picks it up to see a message from one of your coworkers. 

**MR. YOON: hey can we have our meeting this evening?**

Jin hesitates for a moment, but ultimately decides that it is best to reply for you:

**Y/N: I'm so sorry, but I've been unwell the past couple of days. Can we reschedule?**

_"Why he want to meet so late anyway?"_ Jin thinks to himself. 

**MR. YOON: Take a rest. You need anything?**

**Y/N: I'm okay, thank you for understanding. I will reschedule a time with you later.**

Jin smiles to himself, feeling confident in his decision when he notices a couple more unread messages... it's from an unknown number. 

Wait a second. 

**Unknown: Hey Y/N! It's BamBam. ;) I got your number from Jackson.**

**Unknown: I was thinking maybe we could go out for drinks sometimes...**

**Unknown: without the rest of the crew if that's cool with you. <3**

Jin huffs to himself. The nerve of this kid. 

All of a sudden, the teapot begins whistling. You start to rouse, wrestling with the covers. Jin abruptly drops your mobile back on the bed.

Your eyes open, you blink a couple times to confirm your vision is correct.

He slowly approaches you. 

Gently, he tells you, "I've warmed up the soup and am making tea. I think it would be good for you to have some."

You nod in compliance. 

"You think you can be ready in a few minutes?" He asks. 

"Hmm?" You question. 

He blushes, "I thought you might not want to stay in your bathrobe when you eat." 

You pull your covers back up and shriek, "Oh my gosh. I never changed! Please, leave. I'll get dressed immediately." 

He removes himself from the bedroom and returns to the kitchen. 

Smiling to himself, he sticks the rice in the microwave. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, merry Christmas and happy holidays!! I hope everyone is having a restful and enjoyable time.


	16. In Hot Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin fixes Y/N some hangover soup and they have an eye-opening conversation.

The aroma of vegetables, beef, and spices filled your apartment. You pull an oversized sweatshirt over your head and began to slowly make your way to the kitchen, following the trail of haejang-guk's (hangover soup) scent. 

Jin hears your feet shuffle in and he pulls out a chair for you at the table. He has already set out a couple sets of bowls filled with soup and rice.

You sit down and stare at the spread.

"Wow, this looks amazing." You gasp. 

He pours you a cup of tea before sitting down across from you. 

"Thank you." He replies. "Please, help yourself. You haven't eaten since last night. Plus, it's rich in electrolytes and B vitamins so it should help you feel better." 

You take up a spoonful and it approaches your mouth when suddenly Jin motions for you to stop.

"Wait! It's actually still super hot. I can see the steam." He warns. "Hold on." He leans over and begins to blow over the spoonful. 

Stunned, you nearly drop the spoon. He takes your hand and steadies it. 

"Aw, you're still kind of out of it, huh?" He sympathizes. "Here, try it now." He guides it to your mouth. 

The first bite is rejuvenating, unlike any soup you've had before.

"Oh my gosh, Jin!" You exclaim. "Where'd you get this? This is the best soup I've had." 

He hides his face behind his hands. 

"What is it?" You chuckle. 

"Well, I didn't find it." He admits. "I made it."

Your mouth falls open. "What?! You made this?" 

"Maybe..." He hesitates. "Are you sure it's good?"

You roll your eyes, "You know it's good, Jin." 

"I was a little nervous." He confesses. "It's my first time cooking anything for you." 

"You're a great cook, Jin, honestly." You assure him. "Even then though, I'm so touched you would actually cook this for me." 

He smiles, "I need my girl to be well therefore I will take care of her until she is."

"Your what?"

"Hmm?" He takes a big bite of kimchi and rice. 

Maybe you're imagining things. 

You take another spoonful of soup and sip. 

"Oh my." You groan. 

His eyes widen. 

"I need to be more patient." You giggle. "It's so good but so hot." 

Jin begins stacking the vegetables and beef on top of his rice when you notice his face is pink.

"Are you feeling okay?" You ask.

He continues to nod. 

You sit in silence for a few minutes as you both eat. He motions for you to add some rice to the soup to which you agree. 

He breaks the silence, "You really should be careful with alcohol." 

You drop your spoon. "Ugh, I know, okay? Don't give me more of a hard time than I'm giving myself already." You whine. "Did I do anything awful while I was drunk?"

He puts his finger to his chin and thoughtfully responds, "Well, to be honest, you're already kind of embarrassing already even when you're sober. However, you did manage to be even more so intoxicated." 

You cry, "No, what happened?" 

"You hit on BamBam for one thing." Jin tells you. 

"Oh, no, I was well-aware of that already." You chuckle. "That reminds me... I wanted to contact him." 

Jin blinks intensely, trying to figure out if he heard you correctly. 

"Have you seen my phone?" You ask. 

Jin sits, unresponsive. 

"Wait, I think I saw you-- why were you with my phone?" You inquire. 

Jin awakens to respond to the interrogation. "--I heard a notification. A coworker was asking you to meet."

"Oh no! I was supposed to meet him." You jump up. 

"Y/N, it's okay. I told him you were sick. I replied as you. He understood." Jin attempts to reassure you. 

"You sure?" Let me go check. It's on my bed?" 

He nods, "Yes." 

You return with both your phone and your face glowing. 

Jin notices. "You look happy."

You sit down, eyes glued to your phone's screen. 

"Good news about work?" Jin asks, knowing good and well it's not work-related.

You giggle, "Oh my gosh, I forgot to even look at that." 

"I thought you were going to talk to your coworker." He grimly says. 

You nod, "I was..." You swipe to see Jin's replies as you to your coworker. You nod in approval. "This was so nice of you. Thanks. I feel so relieved knowing that I didn't miss a meeting." 

"You're welcome." 

You feel your face heat up. "Sorry, it's just I got a text from him-- I mean, I heard from BamBam. He wants to have drinks." You explain. "Just us." 

Jin struggles to hide his frustration. "I don't know if that's a good idea. You definitely shouldn't be drinking. Plus, you don't even know BamBam." 

You're surprised to hear him disapprove so much. 

"You know him, don't you?" You inquire. "He's not a bad guy?" 

He knows you're right. BamBam _isn't_ a bad guy. He's a great friend. However, BamBam's intentions with you is _not_ to be your friend. 

"To be honest, Y/N, he's a flirt." He tells you. "I just don't want you to get hurt by some guy who can't commit." 

You sense Jin is trying to be sincere with you, but it hurts. 

"He really doesn't have bad intentions, but he's just looking for a good time, Y/N." Jin slumps in his chair. "It's your choice if you want to go, but--" 

Your heart has sunk. "Let's just eat. I don't need to reply to him right now." 

He somehow feels guilty. He really didn't want you meeting up with BamBam, but he doesn't like that, in the process, he has ruined your mood. You looked so happy a minute ago. He tries to make up for it by giving you some of his rice. 

"Are you not hungry?" You ask.

"I'm okay. You need to eat." He tells you as he scoops up another spoonful. "By the way, these were your last servings of rice. You really need to go shopping. You have nothing here. How do you survive?" 

It's like being lectured by a parent whenever they visit. 

"I know." You choose to agree. 

"When you're up to it, we're going to go to the store and get you things. I can't have you starve on me." He begins to lecture. "I know you like to eat takeout, but you can't everyday. You know what? How do you feel right now? I'll take you. I almost don't even trust you to go on your own. You're just going to buy more instant." 

"I guess we can go now?" 

"You sure?" He responds. "Grab a coat then. It's a little chilly." 

Jin begins to clear the table and starts washing the dishes as you step out. 

You enter your bedroom and begin searching for your coat when you notice your bathrobe that you carelessly threw across a chair amidst the panic of everything. 

"Hey, Jin?" You call out. 

"Yeessss?" He sings. 

You hesitate. 

"Y/N, you okay?" He calls back out. 

"Y-you didn't see anything, right?" You ask. "Like earlier, when you woke me up and I was not-- I mean I hadn't changed?"

He chuckles to himself, "You mean to ask me if I saw you in your bathrobe?" 

You put on your coat and begin to head back into the kitchen. 

He turns around to see you walk in. "Don't stress. You were bundled in covers too." 

You take a deep breath. 

What he chooses to not mention is that just earlier, you had been sleeping in his arms. 

_"She must not even remember that she asked me to stay with her..."_ His thoughts explore. 

You tighten your shoes' laces when a thought pops into your head. "Wait, how'd you get here?" 

"You were drunk last night and you gave me the spare key. I let myself in? I told you this?" He replies.

You ponder. "I did? So... you left and came back?" 

Jin nods. "Exactly. I brought you home to rest and I came back today with the soup." 

"Hmm." Something doesn't add up. "But... wait, why was I in my bathrobe?" 

He stops himself from continuing. 

Your eyes widen. "I remember now... I woke up, took a shower and then you came in and I thought you were a stalker!" You start laughing. 

He awkwardly laughs with you. "Ha ha. Oh, yeah." 

"You a stalker?!" You laugh at him. 

Your laughing comes to a stop abruptly. Realization hits you.

"So... you did see me?" 

He doesn't want to respond but he feels like it's the only way to move past this. "Briefly." 

"Oh."

He quickly continues. "But I barely saw you. Right after you found out it was just me, you went back to bed."

"Okay..." 

"Don't worry. It's okay." Jin attempts to unnerve you. "You can trust me, alright?"

You nod, "You're my best friend. Of course I trust you." 

"Good." He smiles. "You feel okay now?"

You nod again. 

"Want to go stock up on some groceries?"

You smile and nod, excitedly. 

He grabs your hand, "Okay, good. Let's go." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IDK if this was painful to read but I was getting secondhand embarrassment from writing it.
> 
> also I want soup now.


	17. Seems Fishy to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin takes Y/N grocery shopping so she won't starve herself. However, she knows she can't afford to purchase a lot. Hence, her empty shelves and avoidance of shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! enjoy the chapter :)

You hop excitedly as Jin pulls out a cart from outside the grocery store's entrance. He glances over at you, confused. 

"You okay there, bunny?" He asks.

Grabbing ahold of the shopping cart, you gleam up at him. "Grocery shopping is my favorite!" It really is. What's more fun than shopping? Especially when it's for food!

He eyes you, skeptically. "If that's the case, why do you never do it?" 

You ignore him and run through the automatic doors. 

It's been too long. You've been surviving off basic stuff from the convenience store on the days you're not with him. 

You try to discipline yourself and not get too excited. You missed the variety of choices, but you can't let it affect you in a way that you'll want to buy everything. You can't afford to buy everything. 

Knowing you can get a lot for less, you immediately head towards the instant food aisle. As instantly as ramen's ready time in a microwave, Jin takes control of the cart and swerves it in the opposite direction. 

"Jiiiinnnnnn!" You whine. 

He shakes his head. 

You let out a sniffle, "Jin, why are you acting like an obnoxious strict parent?" 

He glares down at you, "Why are you acting like a whiny baby?" 

Pouting at him, you pull at his coat sleeve. "Please." 

He bites his lip in frustration and looks away from you. 

You continue to tug at both his sleeve and heart. 

"Ugh, fine." He gives in, reluctantly. "But you're only getting one pack of instant ramen and some rice. Nothing more. I don't want you surviving off of that and that only. We didn't come here for things you can buy at a convenience store or something." 

You hug him. "You're the best!" 

Before he can return the hug, you have run off into the aisle. 

"Y/N, hurry up." Jin calls out. 

You turn back at him and see him with his face in his hands. "But it's harder to pick because you only let me pick one." 

"Just buy Shin Ramyun." Jin tells you. "You can't go wrong with it." 

You reluctantly pick it up and throw it into the cart. 

"Okay, now, onto some real food." Jin sighs as he pushes the cart towards the produce aisle. 

He begins to just start throwing everything he sees into the cart: lettuce, tomato, onion, peppers, etc. 

"Jin, please, stop!" You tell him. "I won't be able to cook much. I work too much for this." 

He rolls his eyes, "I'll help you cook if I need to. I just need you to take better care of yourself."

"You'd even help me cook?" You look at him as he checks out some bananas. 

He nods, "Of course."

He grabs the bananas he has successfully inspected. "Oh, sweet potatoes." 

After grabbing some of the potatoes, he motions for you to follow him.

"Time for meat." He smirks. 

Jin is looking at some hanwoo (한우) when you begin to get nervous. You know you can't afford that. 

"Hey Jin..." You whisper. "Actually, I don't really need any meat."

He looks at you like you're crazy. 

"What do you mean by that?" He laughs. "Of course you need meat. You love it." 

He puts the hanwoo in the cart, then begins to move it forward when he takes a few steps back. 

"Meh, I'm throwing in some more." He puts another package of the meat into your cart, causing you to feel a frog is caught in your throat. 

He pats you on the back, "Don't worry, kid. I'm not going to make you pay for all this meat. You know I'm eating at least half of it." 

You gulp. 

He looks back at you, smiling. "Seafood next?" 

He knows it's your favourite. 

Jin approaches the fishmonger, an a _hjussi_ (아저씨)-- older gentleman. 

"Hello, sir. I'm interested in getting some fish." Jin tells the man. 

"What kind would you like?" The fishmonger asks. 

He looks over at you. 

You point excitedly at the grouper. "That's my favorite." 

Jin smiles, "We will get some grouper. At least enough for a couple servings." 

"That'll be so good for sashimi." He whispers to you. 

You grab hold of his arm and give it a hug. 

"What else would you like?" Jin asks you. 

Knowing most of the seafood is too expensive, you shake your head. "I'm okay. That's it." 

"We haven't had seafood for a while." Jin reminds you. "We should get something else. Want shrimp?" 

The fishmonger hands Jin the package of grouper fillets. "Anything you would like, young man?" 

"Some shrimp maybe." Jin takes a thoughtful pause, looking over the selection before finally asking the gentleman, "Do you have any recommendations?" 

The ahjussi gives Jin a knowing look and smirks. "Well, seeing a handsome newlywed couple, I have to say oysters."

"Ooh, that's a good suggestion! You like oysters, right, Y/N?" Jin looks to you for confirmation when suddenly the man's words hit him. "I'm sorry, sir. What did you say again?" 

The oysters do look appetizing and you haven't had them in a long time... 

The man begins to explain, "Not only is it delicious, but it contains lots of things to make you feel good, including zinc." He gives Jin a wink. "Also, I don't know if you are aware but eel is one of the best things for some extra stamina. It has all the vitamins you need, including A and E and it is guaranteed to give you both what you need." 

Jin's mouth falls open. "Um, actually, sir--"

"Just remember to eat the eel's tails, young man." The ahjussi interrupts. 

Your hands drop off Jin's arms and you feel your face warming up. 

"We're not married." Jin tries to explain to the man. 

The ahjussi brushes Jin's words to the side, "I don't judge." 

Jin continues, "No, I mean, we're not together--"

The man grins, "I can tell these things. Most couples don't shop together like this. I know you two must be still young and in love."

Jin glances at you, sees you hanging your head, and quickly looks away. Holding onto the packages of grouper and shrimp, he tells the man. "Sir, we'll just take this for now. Thank you for the recommendations." 

"Okay, kids." The fishmonger waves. "Let me know if you need anything else. Have a good day." 

"You too." Jin quickly moves the cart away into the frozen foods aisle. 

The two of you walk aimlessly for a while, nothing said. 

You stop to look at some frozen vegetables with Jin standing by your side. 

"You sure we got enough?" You finally ask. 

"I don't know." He scratches his head. "I'll be back. I'm going to go get some alcohol." 

"Didn't you just tell me I shouldn't drink like literally today?" You remind him.

"Not for you." Jin walks away. 

You're left with the frozen vegetables. 

You throw a bag into the cart and begin pushing the cart forward when suddenly you see a friendly face. 

There's a huge poster up of Eric Nam for his collaboration with Chefood. You open the fridge to see a selection of packages all with his face on it.

"Now, _this_ is what I call good marketing." You chuckle. 

You analyze the different choices for a few minutes, trying to decide if you want more of a noodle or rice dish. You select a box. "Ooh, this one sounds especially good." 

Feeling a presence come up behind you, you turn your head to see Jin holding some pineapple flavored soju. 

You giggle, "Jin, I found the perfect meal for me." 

Jin looks behind you at the array of frozen meals and looks back to give you a stinkeye. 

"Excuse you?" He blinks. "I gave you a limit on instant food. You can't get more." 

You push the box in his face. "But look. It's not just about the instant meal-- it's about the other meal on the package." 

"I don't understand what you're saying." Jin groans in frustration. 

You point at Eric's picture. "Look! It's Eric Nam." 

"Yes?" He replies. "And?" 

You confess, "He's my celebrity crush."

It suddenly hits Jin-- Of course, you have a celebrity crush. But Eric Nam? Okay then... 

"Dude. You also like BamBam." Jin retorts. "You have more than one celebrity crush, I guess." 

Your eyes glaze. "Oh my gosh. You're right... he's technically a celebrity." 

Jin laughs. "Technically?" 

Your head turns to look at Jin. "So are you." Your hands cover your mouth. 

"Are you just now realizing something?" He chuckles. "Come on. Let's go." 

You throw the box into the cart and follow Jin towards the checkout. 

Beginning to sweat, you watch the bill get higher and higher until, finally, the cashier says the dreaded total: 266,003.85 won. 

That's literally how much money you just made for the last photoshoot you did. 

"I need to raise my prices." You mutter. 

Before you have time to pull out your wallet, Jin has handed over his Black Card. 

"Thank you." The cashier smiles at him. "Come again." 

Jin pushes the cart out the store and you linger behind. 

"Did you just pay for it all?" You ask him. 

"Here, help me put it in the car." He tells you as the liftgate raises. 

He's too nice. You know that you don't deserve a friend who would spend over $200 on groceries for you. 

Jin hands you a bag. "Here. Pack my car. The faster you pack, the faster we can get home and cook something." 

"Still hungry?" You ask him. 

"Always." He smiles. 

You put the bag of vegetables in the vehicle as Jin returns the cart. You smile, watching him give the cart to another customer. He begins to walk back to the car when he notices you staring. He shrugs in confusion. 

"What you standing around for?" He questions you. "Waiting for me to open the doors or something?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> any New Years resolutions? I'm having a hard time thinking of any for myself after how bad last year was-- I'm thinking I might need to expect less so I'm not disappointed.


	18. Feed Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N is still not used to some cultural differences thus becomes flustered when Jin attempts to feed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine you readers wanna be fed... so here's a new chapter. ;)

Packing away the remaining groceries, you put the head of lettuce in the refrigerator's crisper drawer.

Beginning to reach for the packages of seafood, Jin raises his hand up for you to stop. 

"Let's eat nigiri tonight. It's best to have the seafood while it's still fresh." He explains. 

Nodding, you agree. "Good idea. Anything else you want me to leave out?" 

"I don't think so." He says. "I'll get started on the rice. Why don't you pick out a movie or something to watch?" 

Jin plugs in your rice-cooker and searches the cabinets for the rice. 

"You sure? You don't need me to help with anything?" You ask. 

He shakes his head. "Relax. It won't take me too long." 

In disbelief, you shrug and sit down in the living room while Jin is just a few feet away in the kitchen making you fresh nigiri. It's the second time in one day that he has cooked for you. Not to mention he just bought all your groceries that you'll survive off of this month. The most you're contributing to the friendship is the entertainment for the evening, which is Netflix. Hey, at least you're thoughtful with your selection. 

By the time you finally choose a movie, Jin has already finished making the nigiri. 

"Dinner is ready!" He cheerily announces. 

Before you have the chance to get up and offer to help, he walks into the living room holding platters of the fresh seafood on mini beds of rice. 

"Here you go, m'lady." He smiles as he carefully sets the food down on your coffee table. 

Gasping, you admire his creation. "I can't believe you did this while I was scrolling through Netflix, man." 

He chuckles as he sits down next to you on the couch. 

"So..." He puts his arm behind you to rest on the top of the couch's back. "What are we watching?"

"Oh, wait." You stand up suddenly. "I'll get us drinks." 

Jin stands up with you. "I knew I was forgetting something!" He comically hits his head with realization. "I'll be right back." 

You sit back down and look at the detail he put into the nigiri. You giggle at his little cucumber flower garnish. 

He returns swiftly with some yellow liquid in cocktail glasses. 

You eye him suspiciously. "What's this?" 

Smirking, he hands you a glass with a little napkin to match. 

"Dude. I thought you weren't going to let me have alcohol after last night." You raise an eyebrow. 

He sits back down and takes a sip. "Just a little glass." 

You accompany him with a sip and the sweet pineapple flavor tingles your tongue. 

"Plus it's only like 13%." He laughs. 

You chuckle, "Clever, clever. And thoughtful." 

Jin picks up one of the grouper sushi and reaches over to you. 

Your eyes widen. "Whoa. You ain't finna airplane me, are you?" 

"What?" He chokes. 

You take a breath before going off, "Like you know how when you're a baby and you don't wanna eat that gross baby food so like your parent tries to make it more appetizing by literally playing with the food and they will attempt to feed you by moving their hand around and make airplane noises or something wack--" 

"Um." Jin blinks nervously. "No... I just was going to feed you?" 

You stare at him. "Feed me?"

"Yeah." He smiles as his hand moves closer to your mouth. 

You hesitate to open it until the rice touches your lips. Opening you mouth, a drop of soy sauce hits your tongue just to be followed by the fresh fish. 

"Why you look so shocked?" He inquires, picking up another piece. 

Your cheeks heat up. "I don't think anyone but my family has ever fed me like that before." 

He stops mid-chew and turns his head to look at you. "Really? No one else?" 

You shake your head. 

"I'm sorry." He says. 

You chuckle, "Why are you sorry?" 

"Feeding someone indicates you care for someone." He expounds. "Basically, I put your needs before my own, you know? So... I think... this means you're saying no one has cared for you?" 

Your chuckle weakens. "--I... was going to think it simply a cultural difference, but, now, you have me wondering." After a sip, you lower your glass to the table. 

"Please, don't be sad." Jin puts his arm around you. "I will always _always_ make sure you are fed." 

Your vision blurs and you quickly look away from him. 

"I really didn't mean to make you sad." He hugs you. "I want to do the opposite." 

You release yourself from his embrace. "Me too." 

"Hmm?" 

"I wish I could make you feel happy." You sigh. "I worry sometimes that maybe--"

He interrupts, "You make me so happy, especially when I know you are well." 

You pout. 

He smiles and puts one of the shrimp nigiri to your mouth. You cut it in half with your teeth, your lips grazing his fingers. 

"Is it good?" He asks. 

"Of course." You muffle through the chewing. 

"I'm happy." He takes the remaining bite you left. "I'm so happy when someone I love enjoys the food I made." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are so patient with my I swear OMG -- seriously, if I was a reader of this ff, I'd be frustrated with the lack of updates T-T so thank you so much to you guys that still come back and read even after weeks with nothing. 
> 
> Be assured that I still have lots of ideas for chapters! 
> 
> Something a little interactive for ya: comment what Y/N and Jin should watch on Netflix and why. :)
> 
> Also, little personal update... I have a job interview tomorrow night with the CEO of a company I've been wanting to work for and I'm literally SO nervous. I don't even know if I can sleep.


	19. Crash Landing on Food?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Y/N settle on something to watch on Netflix and the choice prompts a conversation between the friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!! Thank you again for your patience.

"What did you decide for us to screen for our in-home cinema?" Jin attempts to put you two back on schedule. 

"Why you have to make it sound fancier than it is?" You laugh. "It's Netflix, dude." 

He takes another bite of the nigiri and shrugs, "Hurry up, hurry up." 

"How about a drama?" You ask. "I'm a bit behind on some." 

He raises a finger to his temple. "Wait...did you pick a drama because there's multiple episodes? You know we won't be able to finish tonight-- giving you excuse for me to come back." 

You blink at him, stunned at his conclusion. 

"If that's the case, I'll agree." He winks. 

You flip through Netflix's drama choices and stop on _Crash Landing On You._ "Have you seen this?" 

Jin shakes his head, "No. I hear about it though." 

"Wanna watch?" You ask to confirm. 

He nods with approval before you press play. 

It's been a while since Jin has suddenly gone so silent. He attentively watches the screen. 

You can't help but giggle due to the suspended disbelief of someone paragliding into a tornado and somehow surviving through crashing into a tree. 

"Am I crazy for still wanting to go paragliding even after this?" You laugh. 

Suddenly, Ri Jeong-hyeok shows up on screen, discovering Yoon Se-ri in her distress. 

You hum, "Hmm... If I knew he'd be there, I would _definitely_ go paragliding." 

Jin turns his head sharply to look at you. You can feel his glare although your eyes are still glued to the screen. 

"Actually, I know him." Jin says as if he had forgot his acquaintance and all of a sudden remembers. 

You gasp and lean closer to Jin, "What?! How?!" 

Jin rolls his eyes but gives a self-defeated sigh. "Hey, you know Tae is a drama actor himself." 

You stare at him with a look of realization, "So, basically, because like V is friends with Seo-joon and Seo-joon knows everyone... and you know V so you know--" 

He nods proudly. 

Still impressed, you gasp again. 

"Also, Hyun Bin [lead actor] and Ye-jin [lead actress] are dating." He casually mentions. 

You let out another audible gasp. "IN REAL LIFE?" 

Jin chuckles at your choice of words then nods. 

You sit back and stare at the screen in amazement." This explains a lot. Even though his character is trying to act like he hates her, ugh, I can just see from the on-screen chemistry that he loves her. Look at how he looks at her." 

Jin's eyes widen and he looks back at you and stutters through his question, "Y-you can tell when someone likes someone... just by...a look?"

You smile at your friend, "Sometimes, it is just really easy to tell. Eyes tell--eyes actually say a lot more than the mouth." 

Jin's eyes quickly move from you back to the screen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the thing is... I have a lot of ideas for this story lol it's just the taking time to write. 
> 
> Speaking of writing though...
> 
> Last chapter, I included in my notes that I had an interview. 
> 
> I was really nervous about it and I honestly didn't think it went well-- I was not supposed to hear back for like a week. I actually heard back almost exactly day after and was OFFERED THE FREAKIN' JOB. I have been trying to process-- I'm so shocked.  
> I had to send in my 2 weeks notice to my current job (it's part-time and didn't pay well soooooooo oop).  
> In a couple weeks, I'll start the new job. I'm really excited because it's a remote writing position (I've been concerned about my safety at my other job because I had to interact with people a lot and the COVID cases are bad here). I will confess I am still quite nervous because it's full-time and it'll be a lot of work. It's also for a pretty well-known Korean company so that's cool BUT nerve-racking!! If anyone can guess the company correctly, I'll let you pick the next meal Jin and Y/N eat. heheheh


	20. Grain of Salt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin falls asleep at Y/N's apartment and someone catches him sneaking in back home too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is more focused on Jin :)

The television's lights illuminates the dark room. Jin's eyes open to see Netflix asking, "Are you still watching?" 

He blinks furiously, trying to wake himself up. He glances down to see you having fallen asleep and resting on his lap. He smiles seeing you resting so soundly and seemingly so comfortably on him. He carefully brushes some hair that has fallen in your face to the side and rests his hand on your head. You begin to shift and he quickly closes his eyes in case you wake up. He peeks back at you with one eye and sees that you're still sleeping. He looks down at his hand and sees his watch: **3:00 AM.**

 _ **"Oh my gosh."** _He thinks to himself. He takes a deep breath before carefully picking up your head and sliding himself across the couch. He grabs a nearby pillow and sets it down before resting your head on it. He takes your decorate throw and puts it over you before sneaking out. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jin arrives in a few minutes to the apartment he shares with his BTS members. He prays that everyone has fallen asleep already as he tiptoes through the entrance to the living room. 

He thinks he's home safe as he makes his way to his room when he hears some footsteps behind him. 

"Where have you been?" He hears Jimin ask. 

Jin turns around to face his blonde haired flatmate. He puts a finger to his lips and motions for his friend to follow him in. 

After Jimin follows behind, Jin closes the door carefully and takes a seat on his bed. 

Jimin raises an eyebrow at his hyung, awaiting explanation. "This is unlike you to be out so late... Especially without me." 

Jin rubs his head, embarrassed. 

"Wait-- you're blushing. _OH MY GOSH_. Jin, are you seeing someone?!" Jimin exclaims. 

Jin jumps up and rushes over to Jimin, slamming his hand on Jimin's mouth. 

"Shhh! No, of course not." He scolds. "I wouldn't keep that from you guys." 

Jimin removes his hyung's hand and interrogates, "Okay, then what would you keep from us? Because you're acting secretive." 

"It's not like that." He sighs. "Y/N wasn't feeling well and I had gone over to take her some soup and I lost track of time." 

Jimin smirks, "So... you are seeing someone." 

"You know it's not like that!" Jin snaps back. "Seeing Y/N is no different than seeing any one of you." 

"Mmhmm. Right." Jimin purses his lips.

"Seriously." Jin huffs. "Why are you awake anyway?" 

Jimin jumps onto Jin's bed and smiles. "Hobi got mad at me again because I didn't clean up so he kicked me out and I've been out on the couch." 

"I can't believe this is still happening." Jin rolls his eyes. 

Jimin reaches his small hands out to Jin and closes them together, pleading, "Can I sleep with you tonight, hyung?" 

"Roll over." Jin orders before slipping under the covers. 

Jimin whispers in Jin's ear, "So... you had been _sleeping_ at Y/N's? Anything else?" 

Jin turns his back, "Go to bed, Jimin." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really thought I'd have posted this earlier in the week but I actually injured my jaw and, in my free time, I've been taking medicine to try to at least reduce the inflammation and swelling...but it's been making me sleepy. Hopefully, I can see a chiropractor this week and get it fixed because right now... this foodie is stuck with soup and smoothies. :( Worst nightmare.


	21. Always Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N wakes up to find Jin gone but is met with some unexpected treats.

Your eyes open to see the sun shining through the blinds, creating lines on you and your furniture. 

You soon realize that not the sun but your phone's ringing has woken you. You look across your coffee table and see your screen lit by Jin's picture.

You lean over and swipe before picking up your phone. 

"Hello?" You answer. 

You can hear him smiling, "Hello, sleepyhead. Did I wake you?" 

"When did you go home last night?" You ask. 

He ignores your question and instead asks, "Going to the studio today?" 

You groan with realization, "I should-- thanks for reminding me." 

"No problem. Talk to you later." He says before hanging up. 

You blink, confused by the phone call. As you set your phone down, you lean back into the couch and take the throw off your body. You smile upon realization that Jin must have put it on you. 

After getting up, you make your way out of the living-room-turned-bedroom and head to the shower. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You button your blazer before exiting the elevator into your studio's entrance. 

"Hello, Ms. (your surname)." Your assistant, a young woman fresh out of university, greets you. 

You smile at her, "Hi, Ms. Kang. Any messages for me?" 

"Nothing except...a couple things have been delivered for you." She informs. 

"Oh, that must be the new filters!" You suggest. 

She shakes her head, "Actually no." 

She pulls out an insulated bag and a cup of coffee. 

You take the bag and examine it to discover a note inside: _"I hope this gives you energy for the day. <3" _

"Thank you, I'll be in my office." You grin at the assistant. "Please, schedule an appointment with Mr. Choi." 

She nods and you grab the items before going into your office. 

You pull out a chocolate croissant and take a bite, the chocolate and buttery pastry instantly melting in your mouth. 

You follow up with a sip of coffee, a cinnamon dolce créme. Its warmth fills your body, bringing comfort on the cold day. 

Whether its the coffee or the thought of someone-- you're not sure but your face heats up. You pick up your phone and text Jin:

 **Y/N: Thank you. You really didn't have to though** 🥺

You look away briefly to check this week's schedule when you hear the phone's buzzing.

** Jin:  ** 🤫 ** Sssshhhhh. Now accept my love. 💞 **

You giggle as you type out your response: 

** Y/N: Is your love always this sweet?  **

Without a full minute passing, another notification hits:

** Jin: Always. **

You smile stupidly at your phone like an adolescent experiencing puppy love for the first time but you are violently brought to your senses by a knock on your door. 

Looking up, you see your assistant at the entryway already. 

She gives you an all-knowing smile. "Your meeting with Mr. Choi is tomorrow afternoon at 2:00pm." 

"Thank you, Ms. Kang." You nod. 

"So..." She grins. "Who is he?" 

"Pardon?" You ask. 

She giggles, "I know I'm young, but I was not born yesterday. There is a guy, yes?" 

You laugh, defensively. "Oh, it's just my friend. They're kinda funny." 

She nods, "Right... Anyone I know?" 

"Ms. Choi, thank you again for setting up the meeting." You politely ask her to leave. 

She gets the clue and leaves with a wink. 

You lean back into your chair with a sigh, "Wow. Where do these kids get these ideas?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters at once because I felt bad about not posting more :p


	22. No Such Thing as Free Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N gets another delivery of treats to her office.

You stretch and lean back in your chair, nearly falling out of it. Just a couple hours of editing photos has already worn you out. However, after being out of office for a couple days, you fear procrastinating any longer, especially since you have a meeting with the client tomorrow. Your stomach growls-- the croissant has already disappeared unfortunately. You carefully analyze your latest edits before granting yourself permission for a break. 

Your hand is hovering over your phone as you ponder whether or not to ask Ms. Kang to call a nearby deliver service when suddenly the phone begins to ring. 

"Ms. Kang?" You answer. 

"There's another delivery for you, sunbaenim." She informs. 

"What is it?" You ask. "Do I need to come sign?" 

"It's actually lunch." Ms. Kang explains. 

"Aww." You involuntarily respond, thinking about Jin's kindness. "Bring it in, Ms. Kang." 

"Okay" Ms. Kang says to you before you hear her tell someone else to go in. 

You hang up and your eyes widen upon realization. 

**_"It's so sweet he keeps buying me food-- but now showing up at my office?!"_** You think. You glance in the mirror and see your reflection. You begin to fix your hair when you smell something sweet...and spicy. 

You turn around to see bags of food being placed on your desk and you follow the hands up to see that their owner was not who you suspected at all. 

"No need to fix yourself for me, babe." BamBam tells you. "I seriously think you don't even have to try; you're just that beautiful." 

You blink again, checking your eyesight. "BamBam? I was not expecting you." 

"I called earlier and your assistant said you didn't have any meetings or shoots this afternoon... so I thought I'd just come on by." He explains. "I brought lunch-- I hope you haven't eaten yet." 

You shake your head. "I actually was just thinking about ordering lunch-- so thank you so much. This is a pleasant surprise." 

"Can I join you?" He asks. 

"Of course-- if you don't mind, I'd love the company." You reply. 

"I'm glad to hear." He smiles. "I thought this was the best way to get to you since you weren't responding to my texts."

He sits down across from you and his eyes meet yours.

"Honestly, I was so hungover from the other night." You laugh.

He smiles. "I'm glad you still remember me despite the--"

You interrupt, "There's no way I'd forget you."

He pulls out the food containers from the bags. "I hope you like spicy rice cakes." 

"It's one of my favorites!" You gasp. 

You take a bite before he even has the chance the completely remove the lid. 

"Next time, I'll have to introduce you to some Thai food." He says. 

"Ooh." You smile as you take another bite. "There's going to be a next time?" 

"If things go my way." He smirks. "Which... it usually does." 

"Oh." Your cheeks turn pink and you let out a subtle cough. 

"Is it the food causing you to heat up or..." He leans in to wipe some tteokbokki sauce from your lip with his finger. "Is it me?" He questions before licking the sauce off his finger. 

You take a sip of water before removing your jacket. You feel his gaze follow your movement, causing you to feel more flustered. 

"Need help?" He asks as he makes his way to your side of the desk. 

Before you think of a response, he is already removing your jacket from you.

"Anything else you'd like me to remove?" He asks as he hangs up the blazer on the coatrack. 

You hiccup, "I'm sorry-- what?" 

He smiles as he slowly begins to close the distance between you two. "How can you act so innocent?" He wonders out loud. 

"I-I'm not." You whisper. 

You hit yourself against the wall. Without even realizing it, you had been backing up with each step he made towards you. However, he now has cornered you up against it. 

It feels like your heart is going to escape your chest as he places a hand next to your head.

"Show me." He whispers back. "Please."

"W-what?" You stutter. 

"Show me you're not innocent." His eyes trail from your eyes to your lips. 

You clear your throat before suggesting, "Shouldn't we finish the meal?" 

"Babe, I am the meal." He states with confidence. 

"Oh." You chuckle. "Okay."

Suddenly, his cockiness seems to soften and he frowns. While slowly taking a few steps back, he looks down. 

"I thought you felt the same way." He confesses. "I guess... the alcohol was talking for you the other night." 

You take a deep breath before responding. You look at the young man across from you before responding, "I thought so too-- I do really like you." 

BamBam looks up at you, "Then what's wrong?" 

"Bams, I just met you." You point out. "This is just... you're moving too fast." 

He sits back down at the desk and looks down at the food. 

"I'm sorry-- I just..." He fumbles his words. "I like you. I don't want to be like Jackson and miss my chance with you just because I fear another man." 

You sit back across from him and look him in his eyes. "What?" 

"I'm not going to pretend I don't feel anything." He says. "Not like others might." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not @me posting 3 chapters after so much procrastination lol oop


	23. A Lot On One's Plate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N and BamBam's relationship develops while Jin begins to feel like he's not needed anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay on the update T-T

"I understand." BamBam says.

You sigh, "No, you don't actually." 

He looks up suddenly, meeting your eyes. 

"There's not some other guy. I will confess that I thought there might be something with Jackson." You admit. "However, he misunderstood. I don't want you to misunderstand too-- I just don't want to rush into anything if that's okay. If it's not, then I know things are meant to continue between us." 

BamBam looks down again, embarrassed. "I'm sorry that I mistook your response for something else. That was rude of me, honestly." 

"It's okay." You touch his hand, provoking him to look back up. "I know you're not really like that." 

"So..." He smirks as his confidence comes back. "I still have a chance?" 

"Hmm...I don't know." You tease. "I might have to continue to think about it some more over some Tom Yum Goong." 

"Oh. You just want me to buy you more meals." He returns the teasing. 

"That and..." You draw in his hand. "I want to spend more time with you." 

He raises an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Really." You repeat.

He instantly removes his hand from yours and pulls out his mobile. He scrolls through today's schedule quickly before announcing, "I'm free at 10 tonight." 

"Me too." You smile. 

Putting his phone back in his pocket, he smiles at you.

"I'm going to send you my address and I'm going to cook for you." He informs you. 

"You're going to cook for me?!" You gasp. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." He winks. "If that's what it will take to win your heart." 

You laugh. "That just _might_ do it." 

"It better." He stands up. "I have to go run by the store to get the ingredients before I go to my next schedule so I'm going to go ahead and leave you to finish your meal."

"You're leaving?" You stand up with him. 

He nods, sadly. 

"No." You whine. "You brought all this food and now I have to finish it by myself." 

He walks over to you and takes your hands. "Don't miss me too much. Look forward to tonight, okay?" 

You pout but give a gentle nod in response. 

"Don't do that." He tells you. 

"Do what?" You ask.

"Tempt me like that." He points his finger in your face and lowers it to your pouted lips. 

You purse your lips to which he laughs. 

"I'll see you tonight, babe." He gives you a quick peck on the cheek before seeing himself out.

You move your hands up to feel your heated cheeks and fall into your chair. You grab a stray napkin and begin to fan yourself. _**"Could it be hot in here?"**_ You wonder.

You take a deep breath before taking a sip of water and returning to the food. 

Ms. Kang peaks behind your door and you lift your head halfway out of the Tteokbokki to see her. 

"Hello?" You manage to say in between chews. 

She titles her head curiously. "You have another visitor." 

You wonder who could possibly be showing up to your office unannounced this time. 

"What? How?" You question. "If they don't have a scheduled appointment, don't send them in. Just find out what they want and you can schedule a meeting for them-- tomorrow afternoon being the earliest." 

She blinks a few times, trying to process. You begin to return to your food when you see that your receptionist is still standing in your doorway.

"Why are you still here, Ms. Kang?" You ask.

"I just want to confirm that that goes for _everyone_." She explains.

"Everyone, of course." You emphasize.

She asks. "Including Kim SeokJin?" 

You cough, "Pardon?"

"Jin is here. You're pretty _popular_ today, sunbaenim." She grins. "Are you sure you would like me to send him away?" 

You stutter. "Uh-um... no, I guess not." 

"I thought so." Your receptionist giggles and gives you a thumbs-up. "You're _so_ cool, sunbaenim!" 

After the young lady leaves, you quickly begin to wipe your mouth to make sure there is no red sauce on your face. You run over to the coatrack to put on your coat. As you slip an arm through the first sleeve, Jin appears. He's dressed semi-casual with a name brand white T-shirt and a mismatched coat and slacks. His black hair carefully swept to the side, just leaving some fringe to brush his brows. 

"Hey there." He walks in, grinning. "Are you surprised to me?"

You laugh awkwardly try to put on the other sleeve, getting caught in it. He watches you carefully, trying not to laugh.

Once you successfully have your jacket back on, you respond. "Actually, yes." 

He pouts. "But you're happy to see me, right?" 

"Always." You smile. 

"So... you're probably wondering what I'm doing here." He says. "I'm here to _save_ you-- take you out to lunch!" 

"Oh my gosh." You gasp. "You're too busy for this. You can't. You already brought me breakfast, right?" 

He nods, sheepishly. "I just worry." He confesses.

You try to read his solemn expression before finally asking, "Why?" 

"After I went to your place and saw how you didn't have food...I began to wonder then worry that you were only eating when we were together." He explains.

"Oh my gosh, Jin." You tear up at his consideration. "Please, don't worry. I'm eating." 

He looks down at your table and sees the food. Awkwardly, he lets out a chuckle. "I see that now. I guess you don't need me as much as I thought."

You close the distance between you two. "Don't say it like that. I _always_ need you."

He avoids the eye contact. So, you give a quick hug. Before he has the chance to return it, you already pull away. 

"Here, come eat with me." You tell him, leading him to the table. 

"Okay." He manages a smile. "Oh my gosh-- this looks so good." 

"I know right?!" You exclaim.

You begin to serve him some of the food when he realizes that there's already another plate set out...then he sees a second drink. 

"Um, where's this from?" He inquires.

You hesitate for a moment until you tell him, "I don't remember." 

"Did your receptionist order it? I'd love to find out so I can get some for the guys one day." Jin says. 

"Actually...no." You admit. "One of my friends got it for me." 

He nods, "Oh. Who is it?"

"Hmm?" You stare at him. 

He looks at you, quizzically. "Which friend?" He repeats. "I know all your friends... because let's be honest. It's basically me and the rest of the guys so." He smiles at you, but his tone sounds more interrogative than friendly. 

You nod and awkwardly laugh. "It was BamBam. He came by with the food."

"Oh. BamBam." He says. "So... you _are_ seeing him." 

You smile. "He just kind of surprised me with the gesture so, uh, couldn't turn down food." 

"I guess that's true." Jin looks at the food suspiciously. "Um, actually, I just remembered something I have to go do... I'm going to let you finish your meal, but, hey, what do you say about dinner tonight?"

"I'd love to!" You say before remembering... "Well, not tonight. I have dinner plans with someone else."

"What?" He asks. "Really?"

You chuckle, "Yeah, really. Is it _that_ hard to believe I'm actually making more friends now?" 

"No, I just..." His voice lowers. "I'm not used to it, I guess." 

"Yeah, me too, to be honest." You laugh. 

"Is it... a friend?" He asks. "Or is it a date?" 

You awkwardly admit, "It might be a date...I think?" 

You laugh again as you feel your cheeks heat up. "This is so embarrassing. I keep blushing anytime I think about it...the possibility of me going on a date with someone like him."

Jin's eyes meet yours. "Is it him?" 

"If you're asking if it's BamBam, yes, it is." You giggle. 

His eyes leave yours and he gets up abruptly. 

"You seem really excited." Jin nods. "I'm going to leave you to, uh, yeah, finish the food. Text me later?"

"Of course, I'll text you tonight. Probably after the--" You pause before giggling again. "date." 

He nods once more before stepping out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to update sooner but things in my life been a little crazy! Rather than focus on the negatives-- I do want to say I successfully finished my first week at my new job! I don't really have any big complaints or concern. I was really nervous, but, so far, it's good. I am writing about six articles each day so it's a kind of busy! Today, I have the day off so that I can get my jaw evaluated to find out what's wrong with it. Hopefully, things will be okay. :) Afterwards, I might try to write some more for you guys!


End file.
